Home for the Holidays
by SelfProclaimedFangirlKate
Summary: COMPLETE! (NOW INCLUDES EPILOGUE). Still reeling from the death of her beloved father 3 years ago, Regina summons the courage to return to the hometown she has avoided for the past 10 years to attend her estranged mother's engagement party the night before Christmas Eve. Old wounds will be reopened, but new opportunities await her in Storybrooke. A SQ holiday fic (AU/non-magical).
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** I should probably be focusing on my other two multi-chapter fics (and I will update those soon), but this idea wouldn't leave my head, and since it's the holiday season I didn't want to wait. It's also yet another narrative style I haven't used before, so it's fun to change things up. So, Happy Holidays! Here's a holiday-themed SQ fic. But even if you don't celebrate any of the December holidays, I hope you'll still read it because it's not overly-specific :)

One quick note: this fic plays fast and loose with family lineage and relationship history, (e.g., Cora is engaged to Leopold, so obviously Regina and Leopold were never involved in this one, thank God). Also, I often get anon reviews asking why I sometimes have Regina in a relationship with Robin at the start of my fics, but rest assured he doesn't exist in this verse, and she is 100% single from the beginning. (As is Emma, when she comes into play). This fic will be four or five chapters long, and my plan is to have it completed by Christmas Eve (Dec. 24).

* * *

"What was that address again, ma'am?" the driver asks, glancing in the rearview mirror of the town car. In the forty-five minutes they have been on the road, his passenger hasn't once bothered to look up from the paper she's been holding in her hands in the backseat.

"108 Mifflin Street," the woman confirms, meeting the reflection of his eyes briefly before resetting her focus on the document she holds tightly in her grip.

"Thank you, ma'am. We're about ten minutes away," he says as he crosses the Storybrooke town line.

"I know," she says softly, taking a deep breath as she officially enters the town she once called home. She allows her eyes to look at the familiar forest lining the shady rural roads for a brief moment. Already feeling a sense of regret and dread, she reads the note in her hands for what must be the fifty-ninth time since she got off the plane in Portland an hour ago, and that doesn't include the several hundred times she read it on her ninety-minute flight from Washington, D.C. She doesn't know why she continues to reread the letter, because she already has it memorized. Nonetheless, she can't stop torturing herself. During her childhood, she had been conditioned to find a twisted comfort in the deprecating comments that often served as her only form of attention, and she had spent the last decade of her life trying to rid herself of that habit. She had been relatively successful at her attempts over the years, but perhaps preparing to return to her hometown has stirred up some old patterns.

Her eyes skim across the familiar cursive, slightly more askew than it once was, but that detail is only discernable to her scrutinizing eye — it is still more impeccable than anyone else could have done. Her mind can't help but drift back to the memory of her mother forcing her to practice her penmanship as a young girl, which often resulted in tears of frustration and a thorough scolding due to her illegible loops and inconsistent letter height. It's no wonder that she grew up to be a physician. At work she laughs off the comments about her "chicken scratch" from her colleagues and rolls her eyes when her medical assistant reminds her that she "really does nothing to disprove the stereotype about doctors," trying not to let it bother her as those childhood memories of strict lessons threaten to reappear at inopportune times. And then when she became a preteen and started dotting her "i's" with little hearts just like her friends did, well, she thought her mother would actually have an aneurism.

As the car pulls up to the white Colonial estate she closes her eyes, meditating for less than a minute to steady her nerves until the driver opens the car door for her. She steps her stiletto-clad feet onto the pavement, accepting the driver's gloved hand as he helps her out of the vehicle. When he goes to get her luggage from the trunk, she succumbs to temptation and rereads the note one more time:

 _My darling daughter,_

 _I know no one will ever replace your father, and I am sorry we fell out of touch. However, we are your only surviving family, and we would all be very disappointed if you did not join us for this occasion. I think you will find that Leopold and his two daughters are going to be great additions to this family, should you wish to be part of it._

 _I do hope you will consider it,_

 _Your mother_

She then runs her fingers over the gold embossed invitation that houses the handwritten note:

 _You are cordially invited to celebrate the engagement of_

 _Ms. Cora West, Esq._

 _and_

 _Dr. Leopold Blanchard_

 _23_ _rd_ _of December at seven p.m_

 _The Mayoral Mansion_

 _108 Mifflin Street, Storybrooke, ME._

 _Dress: Cocktail_

 _Please RSVP via the enclosed card by the 15_ _th_ _of December._

 _In lieu of gifts, please bring a cash or check donation to the charity of your choice._

Even after reading the invitation and accompanying note hundreds of times, she still can't decide which aspect is more egregious: the passive-aggressive guilt trip in the letter, or the pretentious inclusion of "esquire" on an invitation that presumably was only distributed to close friends and family, all of whom are well aware of the mayor's credentials.

"Would you like help with your bags, ma'am?"

The driver's voice pulls her back to the present. "Oh, no thank you, Sidney. I can manage," she replies.

He tips his hat with his gloved fingers before he enters his car and backs out of the driveway, leaving the woman staring up at the mansion. She gives herself a minute as she takes steadying breath before she rolls her suitcase up the front walkway.

 ***.*.***

She can hear the classic chime of the doorbell that rings out within the house from her place on the front porch. She catches herself as she rocks back and forth on her heels, another nervous habit that remains from her youth. She manages to stop her motions just as the front door opens, revealing a balding, bearded man in his early 60s. "Can I help you?" he asks, glancing briefly at the suitcase next to her before looking back at her.

"Yes, I'm looking for my mother..." Regina replies, a little taken aback. She assumes this must be her mother's fiancé, and if he doesn't recognize her, then that means that Cora has never shown him a photograph of her. While she hasn't seen her mother since she was in college, Regina knows she doesn't look that much different than she did the last time they had taken a family photograph. Her mother must have erased her from their lives. How lovely.

"Oh, you must be Gina," he says, finally connecting the dots. "Please, come in. Cora didn't know whether you would make it to our little town."

"Yes, well, it was a rather last minute decision. I had to make sure all of our clinic shifts were covered," Regina lies. She works at a family practice and keeps relatively humane hours, and she hasn't had to be on-call on a holiday in years now that she has risen in seniority. But, no one in Storybrooke needs to know that. Her lack of an RSVP was purely due to her own indecision and self-torment.

"Right. Your mother mentioned that you had been pre-med in college, but she said you dropped out to become an EMT. If you're working in a clinic, then I assume you're an ER tech now?" he asks in a way Regina thinks may be rhetorical.

Regina holds back an eye roll, because of course her mother would highlight what she perceived as her daughter's shortcomings. As much as Cora loves perfection, she also seems to get off on pointing out her daughter's ineptitude to anyone who will indulge her. "Actually—" Regina starts but doesn't have time to correct his assumption, as Leopold interrupts her, beckoning the matriarch to the entryway.

"Cora, dear, we have a guest," he calls as he turns toward the back of the house to where his wife-to-be must be.

Regina takes the opportunity to glance around at her surroundings. Very little has changed since the last time she was here. The foyer wallpaper remains untouched, and the wood floors are freshly polished, looking as pristine as the day she had left for her junior year of college. Little did she know at the time that it would be her last time in that house for more than a decade.

"Who is it, dear? The caterers aren't due to arrive for another two hours," Cora's voice rings out as the click of her heels echo in the hallway, drawing nearer with every step and causing Regina's back to reflexively straighten.

"Hello, Mother," Regina says as her mother comes into view. She eyes the older woman cautiously, noting that although she has aged, she is still as elegant as ever.

"Gina, darling, I am surprised to see you," Cora says as she steps closer, maintaining a healthy distance.

Regina cringes at the nickname. Her father had been the one to name her 'Regina,' paying homage to his favorite aunt. Cora had never cared for the name, so she had tried to force the nickname on her. Regina has always hated it, though, and after her mother's failed attempt at a compromise with the name 'Ginny' when Regina was seven, the older woman had finally acquiesced. However, after her parents' divorce after her senior year of high school, her mother had gone back to using the shortened name, purely out of spite and contempt for anything associated with Henry Mills. Cora had even gone back to using her maiden name "West," and encouraged Regina and her older sister to do the same. Regina had refused, but her sister gladly gave in to their mother's demands. After all, Zelena had been about to start law school and needed the tuition money her mother promised her if she obliged.

"Well, you did invite me, and it seemed more like a demand than a request for my presence, so here I am," Regina responds, forcing a fake smile on her face. "Congratulations on your engagement," she says, looking between the pair.

"Thank you, dear," Cora says. "I take it you two have made your introductions?"

"We figured it out," Regina confirms.

"Well, let's get the formalities out of the way. Gina, this is your new step-father to be, Dr. Leopold Blanchard," Cora says proudly, not noticing how Regina balks not only at the nickname, but at the insinuation that this random man will play any sort of familial role in her life when the younger woman barely even acknowledges that Cora is her mother. "And Leo, darling, this is my youngest daughter, Gina Mills," she says, nearly choking on the words as she speaks her daughter's last name.

"Actually, it's Regina," she corrects. "And if we're going with formalities, it would be Dr. Regina Mills," she adds, sending a leveling gaze to her mother.

"Oh, Really?" Cora asks. "I thought you gave up that little dream right around the time you gave up your fiancé and my financial support. The last I had heard after you failed physics and I cut you off, you quit college to drive an ambulance."

It's times like these that Regina wishes she had the ability to instantaneously disappear and transport herself anywhere that was not here. She is extremely tempted to turn around and leave, because coming back to Storybrooke was clearly a mistake. However, she's here now, and she refuses to let her mother chase her away that easily. "I didn't fail physics, Mother, I got a C. And I didn't quit college. I took off one semester to become an EMT so I could help support myself while I finished school and to gain extremely valuable experience that would help get me into med school…which it did."

"Well, good for you," Cora says halfheartedly.

"So what kind of medicine do you practice?" Leopold asks, sensing the tension and wanting to move the conversation along to a less heated subject.

"I'm an OBGYN," Regina says.

"Of course you are," Cora mumbles in an irritated tone.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Regina asks, narrowing her eyes.

"Nothing, dear. If you'll excuse me, I have more preparations to make before the party. I do hope you brought something more suitable to wear for the party tonight."

"Of course, Mother," Regina says, quickly looking down at her dark denim and grey sweater that she had worn for the flight.

Regina watches her mother leave as Leopold does the same, before returning his focus to Regina. "Well, that's wonderful that you were able to go to medical school, Regina," he says. "Where did you go to school and do your residency?"

"Georgetown for both," Regina answers.

"Oh, that's a great school."

"It is. I loved it," she nods. "And you're a psychiatrist?" she asks, although she knows the answer. When she received the invitation she quickly googled her mother's fiancé to find out who he was, and she came across his faculty profile page for a small liberal arts college in Maine, not too far from Storybrooke. He directs the student mental health clinic and serves as the treating psychiatrist, and he also teaches in the psychology department.

"I am. For nearly forty years now."

"That is quite a career," Regina says.

"I've loved every minute of it. You might get along well with my son-in-law David, too. He'll be here for the party. He's a pediatrician."

"Oh, great," Regina says, hoping her forced enthusiasm sounds genuine. She doesn't particularly like to talk about work on her days off, but she supposes that might make this horrid weekend go by more quickly.

"Well, let's move your suitcase out of the foyer and let you get settled. There is an extra room in the guest house that you can use."

"Thank you, Leopold."

"Shall I show you to it?"

"I'm quite all right. I remember where it is," she smiles as she grabs the handle of her suitcase and walks up the few steps from the foyer into the main hall of the house.

"Of course," he nods as he follows behind her, realizing that this was Regina's home for many years.

 ***.*.***

Regina sits down on the bed in one of the guest house bedrooms with a sigh. There are three bedrooms in total, and two already seem to be in use. When she poked her head into the largest of the three, she recognized the vintage Louis Vuitton luggage sitting on the bed as the luggage set her sister has had her eye on since she was 15, and therefore deduced that Zelena must already be in town. The other bedroom had a medium-sized Nike duffle bag sitting at the end of the unmade bed, and she could only assume that one of Leopold's daughters has commandeered that room. So, she ends up in the smallest of the three, and aside from hanging up the dress she plans to wear to the party to help prevent any wrinkles from forming, she doesn't bother to unpack her suitcase. Her return flight is scheduled for the early afternoon on the day after Christmas, and if her three-minute conversation with her mother earlier in the day is any indication, she may want to change her flight to Christmas Eve instead. Leopold seems nice enough, but she doesn't think she can take a full three days in her mother's presence. Christmas was always her favorite holiday to spend with her father, and she's been spending it alone ever since his death three years ago. She has to admit to herself that her mother's mention of her father and family in the invitation letter got to her. Spending it alone, however, now seems more appealing than spending it in Storybrooke.

"Well, if it isn't the prodigal daughter, home at last," a voice says from the doorway, pulling Regina out of her thoughts.

"Zelena," Regina sighs, looking over at her older sister. "You look well."

"Yes, I know," she says, fluffing her hair. "I would say the same to you, but you're looking awfully rundown."

"Yes, well, traveling will do that, combined with working until 2am this morning and having to deal with Mother immediately upon my arrival."

"2am, eh? Let me guess, bartending? Or have you had to resort to exotic dancing since Mummy dearest cut you off?"

Regina scoffs. "Neither. And 'Mummy?' What's with the fake accent, Zee?"

"It's not fake, my dear Gina. I've been living in London for the past six years. You would know that if you bothered to keep in touch with your family."

"I kept in touch with the only family member who mattered to me, Zelena."

"Oh yes, our dear father. God rest his soul."

Regina flies up off the bed and grabs her sister's shoulders, pressing her against the wall. "You do not get to talk about him. You couldn't even be bothered to come to his funeral."

"Yes, well, he chose his side when he left, as did you when you went with him."

Regina releases her grip on her sister, taking a deep breath. She refuses to let her sister drag her into this fight again. "I am going to go take a shower. And when I get back, you will no longer be standing in my room. I will be civil to you at the party, but this is not going to turn into some happy reunion. There's a reason I didn't talk to you or mother for a decade."

 ***.*.***

Zelena just left to go to the main house for the party, while Regina stays back so that she will arrive a little while later, buying her more time before she has to face her mother and sister again. Thankfully, Zelena had left her alone most of the afternoon, but she is still feeling tense from the mixed emotions of seeing the woman for the first time in more than ten years. She used to idolize her big sister, but as the family's secrets began to reveal themselves during her high school years, the rose-colored glasses with which she viewed the women in her family began to shatter. Now, she needs a few moments alone in the house, without sensing her sister's presence, to gather her strength and build up the walls she needs to make it through this night unscathed. With a final check of her makeup and smoothing down a flyaway hair, Regina slips on her silver Stuart Weitzman metallic ankle boots and walks out the door.

She expertly navigates the path from the guest house to the main house, cursing herself for not bringing a jacket. It's only fifty yards or so, but on a winter evening in Maine, it's well below freezing outside and even the short walk is a bit too much. She shivers as she slips into the main house through the kitchen door overlooking the backyard. She nearly crashes into a caterer, who is coming back with an empty tray to refill before returning to the party. She mutters an apology for the near collision as she does a quick scan of the room, looking for the family members she is hoping to avoid. Oddly enough, since this is her mother's party, she has a decent chance of avoiding the woman most of the night, as Cora will be busy playing the perfect hostess. She doesn't see the older brunette, so she sighs in relief and exits the kitchen.

She's too anxious to eat, so she bypasses the impressive spread on the dining room table and wards off a few overly enthusiastic waiters who insist she must try the canapé, all but shoving the tray into her chest as she pushes past them. Instead, she spots a bar set up in the front room opposite the piano, where a young man in a tuxedo is playing jazzy Christmas standards. She makes a beeline for the bar, recognizing the bartender as August Booth. He had been a year behind her in school, but always seemed to watch her with fascination in their one shared class her junior year, and she often caught him staring at her in the halls until she graduated. She never suspected he had a crush on her, but instead it seemed like he was trying to figure something out about her. He always talked about wanting to be a writer, so she could only assume he was writing stories about her in his head. Clearly, the writing thing hadn't worked out for him if he was forced to bartend at her mother's engagement party.

"Regina," he greets as she approaches. After years of observing her, he would recognize her anywhere.

"Hi, August. It's nice to see you," she says, forcing a smile.

"You remember me?" he asks in amusement. "I'm honored."

She shrugs. "I'm good with names and faces."

"Well, what can I get for you?"

She eyes the selection of wines and liquor, including the pretentious menu of signature drinks developed especially for the occasion. "Scotch on the rocks please, and make it a double."

"Yes, ma'am…I take it you're anticipating a rough night?" he asks, quickly pouring the drink and handing it to his former classmate.

"Indeed. I need to take the edge off quickly, and then we'll see how it goes. I'm sure I'll be back. Excuse me," she says, nodding her head in thanks as she walks through the room.

She spots her sister across the foyer talking to a very pregnant woman and a handsome man. She watches as Zelena hugs the woman and takes her coat, hanging it up in the hall closet. She finds that odd, as all the guest coats are being taken to an upstairs guest room by one of the staff members her mother has hired for the evening. She's surprised to see her sister is continuing the conversation with the couple as they continue walking into the living room, located to the left of the foyer. Curiosity gets the best of her, and she can't hide all night, so she decides to try and be social. "Hello, Zelena," Regina says as she comes to stand next to where her sister is sitting on an ottoman, while the couple sits on the loveseat across from her.

"Ah, yes, Gina. How nice of you to finally grace us with your presence. Has Mother found you yet?"

Regina shakes her head. "No, she hasn't. I've done a perimeter check already but haven't run into her."

"She's probably off scolding the party planner, as there seems to be a small hiccup with the valet parking," Zelena remarks.

Regina rolls her eyes. Some things never change. "That sounds like her."

"I'm sorry," the pixie-haired brunette on the couch says. "You're Gina, Cora's other daughter?"

"It's Regina, actually," she clarifies, annoyed that her mother's nickname has spread. "But yes, I am," she says extending her hand to the woman. "And you are…?"

"Oh, I'm Mary-Margaret Nolan, and this is my husband David. I'm Leopold's oldest daughter. Your future step-sister," she smiles, far too cheerfully for Regina's liking.

Regina forces a smile to her lips. "It's nice to meet you," she says, before shaking her future brother-in-law's hand.

"Why don't you join us?" David offers.

Regina can't think of a reason not to, and at least this will give her something to do and perhaps make the time pass more quickly. She hesitantly sits down on the opposite side of the ottoman, putting as much space between Zelena and herself as possible.

"Cora says you haven't been to Storybrooke in years," Mary-Margaret says. "How does it feel to be back?"

Regina stiffens slightly, annoyed that this is the woman's first question. "In some ways, it feels like I never left," she grimaces, taking a large gulp of her drink. The ice has yet to melt, so the undiluted liquor burns her throat, but she finds it strangely comforting.

David seems to be better at reading non-verbal cues than his wife, so he quickly changes the subject. "So, Regina, what do you do?"

"I'm an OBGYN."

"Really?" Zelena asks, looking over at her sister in shock.

"Why does everyone seem so surprised by this?" Regina asks, more rhetorically than anything. Do her mother and sister really think of her as that much of a failure?

"That's great. I'm a pediatrician," David replies, not giving Zelena the opportunity to respond.

"Yes, Leopold mentioned that when I met him earlier today," Regina says. "And what do you do, Mary-Margaret?"

"I'm a kindergarten teacher," she beams.

"So, you two really love kids," she says, mainly referring to their choice of careers, but also glancing toward Mary-Margaret's very pregnant abdomen.

"Indeed we do," David confirms, placing a light hand on his wife's belly and caressing it gently.

"How far along are you?" Regina asks.

"Just hit 36 weeks yesterday," the woman replies. "I'm having twins."

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Regina says, genuinely happy for them. "Do you know what you're having?"

"No, we want to be surprised," Mary-Margaret answers. "We painted the nursery green so we're covered regardless."

"Do you have any other kids?" Regina asks.

"Yes. We have a six-year-old, Neal," David says. When he sees Regina's puzzled look as she glances around looking for a young child, he continues. "Mary-Margaret's little sister took him out to the ice rink earlier and then to dinner to help tire him out. She's going to bring him by later and hopefully he'll go straight to bed…Do you have any kids, Regina?"

She shakes her head. "No. I've mainly been focused on my career, so there hasn't been time for that yet. Maybe someday."

Zelena coughs. "Plus, that would require a man, and you selfishly threw away the perfect one Mother picked out for you back in college."

"Zee, not this again. For the love of God," she sighs as she finishes her drink. "Besides, I don't see any eligible bachelor on your arm, either."

"That's because my fiancé Walsh is back in London with his family for Christmas. It's his niece's christening and he couldn't miss it. He's a barrister, too," she brags.

"That's great," Regina deadpans as she stands. "Now, I am going to go grab something to eat and another drink. Can I get anyone anything?"

"We're fine for now, thank you," Mary-Margaret says.

"Well, it was lovely meeting you both. I'm sure I'll see you a bit later," she says to the couple. "Zelena," she says curtly, nodding at her sister as she walks away. Regina had thought about ignoring her entirely, but she ultimately decided to at least acknowledge her existence before she departed. That's progress.

She heads back into the dining room, finally acquiescing to a pushy waiter's insistence that she try whatever French-sounding appetizer is on his tray. She has to admit, it is quite decadent. When she arrives in the dining room, she finds that an elaborate chocolate fondue fountain has been set up on a separate table against the back wall. It's comically tall, with five tiers of chocolate flowing down it. As her eyes scan to the right of the table, she notices an ice sculpture of a Christmas tree. How she had missed that during her first pass-through of the room, she isn't sure. "This is a bit extravagant, don't you think?" she says to her mother, who she finally spots in the room. Regina takes a marshmallow and sticks it with a long skewer, letting the chocolate surround it before popping it into her mouth.

"It's the only way I know, dear," Cora says, eyeing her daughter, who is now wearing a hunter green sheath dress that reaches her mid-thighs. There's an inch-wide strip of black leather down each side of the dress, and the modest-cut straps are offset by the low sweetheart neckline, revealing the perfect amount of cleavage. "It's nice to see you in something other than those rags you came in wearing."

Regina rolls her eyes, reminding herself that this as close to a compliment from Cora West as anyone will ever get. "Thank you, Mother."

Cora pauses for a moment, as if gathering her thoughts for her next backhanded compliment, but then decides she's finished with the conversation and politely excuses herself. Regina is relieved, knowing the less interaction she has with her mother, the better for everyone. The last thing she wants to do is make a scene.

She grabs a few appetizers off the dining room table, regrettably being forced into small talk with the parents of her high school friends as she does so. She quickly decides that conversing with her estranged sister and future step-sister and step-brother-in-law is a less painful option, so she walks back into the living room, finding them in the same place that she left them. Only this time, Leopold is sitting on the arm of the loveseat next to his daughter.

"Regina, it's nice to see you," he says as she sits down on the ottoman once again.

"Hello, Leopold. It's nice to see you again, too."

"I see you met my darling daughter and her charming husband," he says.

"Indeed."

"Well, I am going to go find your beautiful mother, and go say goodnight to my grandson. Excuse me," he says.

"Oh, Neal is back?" Regina asks, delicately taking a bite of a caprese skewer.

"Yeah. My sister just dropped him off and went to go change for the party. We just tucked him in upstairs," Mary-Margaret explains.

"Oh, I see."

"You can go say hi, if you want to meet him," David offers. "Although, he was already falling asleep when we turned off his light."

"No, it's okay. I'll meet him in the morning," Regina says. She's grateful that there will be a young child around the house, because perhaps that will help prevent any large blow-ups between Cora and herself. They'll both need to be on their best behavior if young, impressionable eyes are watching.

The foursome continue to chat, but Zelena is clearly irritated by Regina's presence, so the redhead quickly engages Mary-Margaret in a side conversation, purposefully forcing Regina out of the discussion. The brunette is no stranger to awkward situations, as she spends most of her life around socially inept medical students and doctors, so she can manage. She and David fall into a discussion about their work, as it's a safe common ground. She learns that he and Mary-Margaret live in Boston, where he works at an outpatient facility associated with Boston Children's Hospital. They discover that they graduated medical school the same year, and they were both in D.C. at the same time — David had been at George Washington University while Regina was at Georgetown. They realize that there's a good chance that their paths may have previously crossed during their clerkships in their last two years of medical school, as they had both done rotations in the same hospitals at the same time.

"It's a small world," David comments.

"Indeed it is," Regina agrees.

A few minutes later, Leopold returns to the group, looking over his shoulder as the younger blonde woman accompanying him gets sidetracked by another guest. He walks back over to her and tugs on her arm to get her attention, and she follows behind him obediently. "Zelena, Regina, I'd like you to meet my youngest daughter—"

Regina's eyes go wide as the woman comes into view, as she's the last person Regina expects to ever see again. "Emma?"

* * *

 **A/N:** I hope you enjoyed, and please let me know what you think! The next chapter should be up in the next week or so, since I'm on a time crunch to get this finished by Christmas. I plan to update both _Second Chances and Silver Linings_ and _A New Exploration_ within the next week or so as well.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Thank you so much for all the reviews, follows, and favorites! I'm so glad people are enjoying this little mini-fic :) Without further ado, here's chapter two.

* * *

"Regina?" Emma asks, appearing equally surprised as the brunette. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm Cora's daughter," Regina says, taking a deep breath to help with her nerves.

"Wait, you two know each other?" Mary-Margaret, ever-oblivious, asks.

"We've met," Emma says, her green eyes not leaving Regina's.

"We have," Regina confirms, her eyes narrowing. "It's nice to see you again, Emma. If you'll all excuse me, I'm going to get another drink."

"Regina, wait…" Emma says as she starts to trail after the brunette, but the woman quickly disappears into the crowd of guests.

"What was that about?" David asks, looking at his sister-in-law who is still staring into the hall, hoping to see where the brunette ran off to.

"Nothing," Emma sighs. "Zelena, it's nice to finally meet you," she says as she tries to regain her focus.

"You as well," Zelena says, politely shaking the woman's hand. "So tell me, how do you know my sister?"

"I don't. Not really, anyway. Like I said, we've just met before."

Zelena opens her mouth as if to continue with her interrogation, but they're quickly interrupted.

"There you are! Emma, it's lovely to see you," Cora says as she joins the group, pulling the blonde into a hug and kissing both of her cheeks. "I'm so glad you made it. I was worried you would miss the party."

Emma smiles shyly as she looked at her future step-mother. "Well, that little nephew of mine takes quite a while to tire out. He is quite the little hockey player. But, I wouldn't miss this for the world."

"Where did Gina run off to?" Cora asks, looking around.

"Who knows…and who cares?" Zelena says, rolling her eyes. "It seems that Emma and my dear little sis have a past of some sort, though. Emma was just going to enlighten us with that story," she challenges.

"There really isn't a story. Like I said, we don't really know each other. We've just bumped into each other a few times through mutual friends," she shrugs, hoping that Zelena will leave it alone.

"Well, given that Regina couldn't get away from you fast enough, I would say there's more to it than that," Zelena states.

"Emma, what aren't you telling us?" Mary-Margaret presses as her suspicions grow.

"You would have to ask her about that. I have no idea," Emma says before politely excusing herself to go get a drink and a quick bite to eat.

Emma weaves her way through the crowded foyer and into the sitting room where the bar is set up. After grabbing a bottle of Blue Moon, she heads toward the back of the house, quickly loading various cheeses and cookies onto a small plate. Even though she had taken Neal out to dinner earlier after skating, she is still hungry. She contemplates returning to the living room to sit with her sister, but she can't take the inquisition from Zelena…not when there's a brunette who she desperately wants to speak with first.

As she continues her search through the house, she spots a silhouette in the three-season sunroom in the back corner of the house. The room is dark, aside from a faint glow from the cell phone in the woman's hands. It's not a room open for the party, because it's far too cold to be practical at this time of year. The walls of windows, which are original to the 19th century home, are drafty, and the lack of proper insulation makes it impossible to retain heat. As Emma opens the door and walks in, she can feel the temperature drop nearly 30 degrees, making it barely warmer in the room than it is outside. It seems fitting for the conversation they're about to have. "Hey, are you okay?" she asks tentatively as she approaches the brunette, who is sitting on the coffee table with her head in her hands, the phone now discarded next to her.

"Just peachy," she sasses as she grabs her phone off the table.

"Regina…"

"No, Emma," she says standing up and turning around, but not before taking the chance to wipe a few tears of frustration from her eyes before she faces the blonde.

As the brunette starts to walk past her, Emma blocks her path, forcing the woman to stand in front of her. She can't help but scan her eyes down Regina's form — even in the darkened room, she's beautiful. "You look great," she says, absentmindedly. It's been a year and a half since they last saw each other, but she is no less gorgeous now than she was then. Emma places a gentle hand on her bare arm, but retracts it when she sees Regina flinch. "Can we please talk?"

"You are the one who left without any explanation. If you didn't want to talk then, I see no reason to talk now. After tonight, you won't ever have to see me again."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"I just put myself on a standby list for the first flight back to D.C. in the morning. Coming here has been nothing but a mistake in so many ways, and it just reiterates that I am no longer part of this family. For tonight, let's just pretend that everything is fine, and then we can forget about each other all over again," she says, finally pushing past the blonde to return to the sea of guests.

Emma follows her back out, but she keeps a healthy distance until she notices that Regina has returned to the living room. Emma cautiously approaches the group and then sits down next to Mary-Margaret. If Regina wants to pretend that they don't know each other, then she can go along with it. She owes her that much.

"So, Emma, what do you do? Where do you live?" Zelena asks. Given that the redhead lives in London, this is her first time meeting her future sister-in-law. She had only met Mary-Margaret once about a year earlier, when Leopold took Mary-Margaret, David, Neal, and Cora to the U.K. for vacation. They had spent two days in London with Zelena and Walsh, but Emma had been unable to join them.

"I work in non-profit marketing," Emma says. "Right now I'm with Baltimore Museum of Art."

At that, Regina's eyes glance up at the woman, surprised to learn that she and Emma only work an hour away from each other. "How long have you been there?" Regina asks in an effort to appear like she's just trying to get to know her future step-sister and keep the conversation civil, but part of her is also morbidly curious. Just how long has Emma been so close to her?

"About six months. I was in Denver for two years before that, and Chicago for three years before Denver."

"So you move around a lot, then?" Zelena asks.

"For awhile I did. I went to grad school in Chicago and stayed there for a year after finishing, and then was offered the job in Colorado. Then the Baltimore opportunity came along, and I couldn't pass it up. I plan to stay in Baltimore for the foreseeable future. I really like it there."

"That's great," Regina says, forcing a smile as she takes another gulp of her drink. She's now on her third scotch, but the last time she went for a refill August had the good sense to add water, hoping to slow her down.

"And what about you, Regina?" Emma asks, challenging the brunette. If they have to play this game, she's at least going to get some information out of the woman.

"I'm a doctor," she replies, knowing that Emma already knows this. "I've been practicing in D.C. ever since I graduated med school there six years ago. A former mentor of mine from residency owns a family practice, so I work with him."

"Good for you," Emma says, genuinely smiling.

"Oh, Gina, there you are!" Cora says as she flutters back into the room. "Look who I found!" The older brunette pushes a reluctant man toward the group, who looks like he wishes the floor would open up and swallow him.

"Hi, Regina," he says, his eyes apologetic.

"Daniel," she says with a sigh, accepting his non-verbal apology and sending one of her own. "You look well."

"You, too."

"Oh, what is with all this formality? It's been years and you two have a lot to catch up on. Why don't you go upstairs and talk?" Cora suggests.

Regina rolls her eyes but knows that if she doesn't comply, the night will be even more unbearable than it already is and that her mother will continue to make her life a living hell. So, she takes the out, knowing that if she agrees to talk with him, that means her mother will leave them alone, giving her a temporary reprieve. "Fine," she says, standing up. She then turns to Daniel, "follow me."

Emma watches the couple leave before returning her gaze to the rest of the group, noting that Cora is smirking. Emma ignores it and turns to Zelena, whispering, "Who was that?"

"Daniel, my sister's ex-fiancé," Zelena explains, rolling her eyes. She's still not sure what happened between Regina and Daniel. She knows that her mother had pushed them together and it was essentially an arranged marriage, but she isn't sure why it crumbled long before they ever got a chance to walk down the aisle. She remembers that Daniel always doted on Regina back then and seemed to truly love her, and her sister had seemed happy enough. She has always wondered what made it fall apart.

Emma widens her eyes in realization as she processes what Zelena just said. She knows that Regina had been engaged to some guy, but Regina had never told her his name. After one too many drinks the first night they met, Regina had explained that after finding the courage to come out to her parents the night of her high school graduation, her mother had forced her into an engagement with the son of the town's country club owners. Her mother was running for mayor at the time, and she felt that not only would it help Regina "get over" being a lesbian, but that it would help Cora solidify her place in the election by connecting her to yet another wealthy and powerful family. The night Emma and Regina had met, the brunette had just officially ended her engagement and revealed that by doing so, she had also ended her mother's financial support for her education. Regina had gone from extremely wealthy to completely broke in the course of one day.

 ***.*.***

"Are you okay?" Daniel asks her as they sit down on the back staircase. It's quiet there, just off the kitchen where the caterers are getting ready to put out the last of the food, and it's away from all the guests.

"Never better," Regina says, mindlessly peeling the label off the empty beer bottle she found on the bottom step.

"I'm sorry. I had no idea you were coming," he says. "Your mother said that you didn't RSVP and that you hadn't been home in years. I never would have come if I knew you would be here."

"It's fine. You're as much a victim in this as I am," she says, resting her elbows on the step behind her. "I'm just sorry you got hurt by it. It's bad enough when my mother destroys her own family, but I hate that she brings in other people as a pawn in her games."

"For what it's worth, I was a willing pawn. I think I always knew that you didn't feel the same way about me as I did about you…even before you told me as much."

She reaches out and places her hand on top of his. "If I was straight, I probably would have fallen for you. You're an amazing guy, Daniel, and someday you will make someone the luckiest woman on Earth," she smiles. "I am sorry I hurt you."

"It's fine, Regina. You can't help who you love, or who you don't. And I actually have found someone. I'm planning to propose to her tomorrow night."

"Oh, that's wonderful! I'm so happy for you," Regina says, squeezing his hand in hers. "I'm guessing my mother doesn't know that?"

"Oh, she does."

"And yet she's still trying to push us together. Unbelievable. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's not your fault," he says, squeezing her hand once before standing up. "Take care of yourself, Regina. I hope you find your happiness."

She smiles sadly. "Thank you, Daniel."

"And don't be a stranger."

She nods as she watches him walk away, before returning to her task of peeling the beer label. No less than a minute later, Cora approaches her. "Why did I just see Daniel leaving the party?"

Regina looks up at her mother, trying to find the inner will to fight back, but she's just too tired. "Because, Mother, he has a fiancée to get home to," she says.

"They aren't engaged yet, Regina. There's still time. You know how much he loves you. He would leave her in a second for you. I don't know why you can't, for once, see what's right in front of you and realize that I'm only trying to help."

"First, Mother, he doesn't love me like that…not anymore. And the bigger issue is that despite your wishes to the contrary, I am still 100 percent gay. You couldn't force me to marry Daniel back in college, even with all your threats, and you sure as hell won't be able to do it now."

Cora growls in anger just as she catches a glimpse of blonde in her periphery. "Emma," she says, quickly putting on her mask and speaking in the fake voice she uses with her constituents when they complain about something in the town. "What are you doing back here?"

"Sorry," she meekly apologizes. "I was coming to use the bathroom. The others on this floor are in use."

"Oh, of course, dear. Right through there," Cora says, directing Emma to the small room off the back hallway.

As Emma walks by, she sends Regina a sympathetic look, mouthing "sorry" once again.

Regina stands up and takes a few steps down the stairs until she reaches the bottom, looking her mother in the eye. "I am going to go to bed now, Mother. Congratulations on your engagement."

 ***.*.***

By the time Regina gets back to the room in the guest cottage, she can't control the influx of emotions coursing through her veins. She's frustrated, angry, and heartbroken all at once, and it results in pure exhaustion. She quickly rips off her dress and throws on the flannel pajamas she brought with her, taking out her phone once again to check the flight listings.

When she escaped to the sunroom earlier in the evening after seeing Emma at the party, she immediately looked up plane tickets to get home. Unfortunately for her, there weren't any flights available. She had pushed her pride aside and quickly dialed Mal's number: "I need you," she had said when the older blonde answered the phone. Regina's ex-girlfriend Mal works for one of the airlines and still has Regina listed as one of her guest pass flyers. Choking back her tears, Regina had begged Mal to list her as a standby passenger on the first flight out of Portland tomorrow morning. The flights were full, but she had hoped she would be able to get on one of the four flights that day. After Regina had briefly explained her situation, Mal had agreed. They had both been hurt in their relationship but had ended things relatively amicably, and occasionally they still help each other out in times of crisis.

"Fuck!" Regina yells as she throws her phone across the room, aiming carefully so that it would land on the carpet and not do any real damage to the device, but still satisfy her need to get out her aggression.

"Everything okay?" Emma asks from where she's hovering just beyond the doorway, seemingly warring with herself as she decides whether she wants to enter the room.

"Does it look like it's okay?" Regina retorts.

Emma cautiously takes a step into the room, picking up the iPhone that is now by her feet. She runs her hand across the illuminated glass and smiles. "It's not cracked, so at least there's that," she offers. "If I give this back to you, are you just going to throw it again?"

Regina lets out a wry chuckle. "No, it's safe."

Emma smiles and approaches her, extending her hand to give the brunette her phone, but pulling her hand back as their fingers brush against each other.

"Thank you," she says as she takes the phone, unable to help herself from really looking at Emma for the first time all night. She's in a short, black velvet camisole dress, with a red leather moto jacket that's cropped to hit at her natural waist. Her long hair is piled into a top knot, likely because she didn't have time to wash her hair after her afternoon outing with Neal.

"Are you going to tell me what that was about?" Emma asks hesitantly. Before she had handed the phone back she couldn't help but see the website that was still displayed on the screen, but she doesn't want to overstep.

Regina shrugs. "It looks like I won't be able to get out of here tomorrow, after all. I'm now 18th on the standby list, and there will likely be many more to come that will have higher priority than me in the system. It's Christmas Eve so there are a lot of people trying to get home, I'm guessing."

Emma nods in understanding. "Can I?" she asks timidly, her eyes flickering to the spot next to where Regina is sitting on the bed. Regina gives a barely noticeable non-committal shrug in response, which Emma accepts as consent. "Please don't feel like you need to leave on my account," she says. "I'm sorry if me being here is painful for you. We can totally go on ignoring each other the rest of the time, if it's easier for you."

"It's not just you," Regina says, not daring to look at Emma. Instead, her eyes fixate on a spot on the wall in front of her. "It's everything about being back here. I shouldn't have come."

"Cora seems like a piece of work," Emma comments. She had met the woman several times in the past, but she has only seen her mayoral mask, the mask of the woman who wants to impress Leopold and his daughters. Tonight has been her first glimpse into the real Cora West.

"She is," Regina confirms. "I don't know why I thought tonight might be different. It's been ten years and she's exactly the same."

Emma nods, not knowing what else to say. Anything she says will seem like an empty gesture. "Regina, look…"

"Emma, I can't do this tonight. I don't want to do it at all, but I really can't tonight," Regina pleads, looking at Emma for the first time since she sat down on her bed.

"Okay," Emma nods as she stands up, putting some much-needed distance between them.

"But, can I ask you one thing?" Regina asks quietly. "I need to know..."

"Of course," Emma nods. "Anything."

Regina sighs as she braces herself for the answer she knows she's going to get. "Did you know who I was?" When she sees Emma's confusion, she clarifies. "Obviously you didn't at first, but last time…. Our parents were already together then. So, did you know who I was? Is that why you found me again and then left? Is that why you told me your last name is Swan instead of Blanchard? You didn't want me to know who you really were?" Despite hating her mother, Regina has been keeping tabs on what's been going on in Storybrooke during her absence. While she has fallen out of touch with most of her friends from town, she occasionally reads _The Daily Mirror_ online to see what her mother is up to. Over the years she has seen photographs of Cora and Leopold together at events on the newspaper's website.

Emma shakes her head vigorously. "Okay, first, I never lied to you. My last name really is Swan. I was adopted when I was 11. Leopold and Eva let me keep the last name Swan, because they didn't want me to forget about my connection to my birth parents who died in a car accident when I was a few weeks old," Emma says, immediately getting defensive over Regina's accusations. The brunette at least has the decency to look ashamed when Emma reveals that bit of information. "And no, Regina, I had no idea who you were. I didn't even know your last name until that last night, and it didn't ring any bells. Yes, I had met your mom by that point, but she never said anything about her previous last name being Mills. I've only known her as Cora West. And when she talked about her daughter 'Gina,' I never knew she meant 'Regina.' I assumed her other daughter would have the same last name as she and Zelena do. I never for a second thought 'Gina West' and 'Regina Mills' might be the same person. And you never told me the name of your hometown, so I never made that connection."

"Oh," Regina sighs in relief. She really had thought that Emma may have been deliberately playing her.

"And," Emma continues, "I certainly didn't leave you because of—"

"No, stop," Regina commands, holding up a hand to emphasize her point. "Please don't say anymore right now."

"Okay, sorry. Have a good night, Regina," she says, excusing herself from the room and closing the door behind her.

Regina allows herself to fall back on the bed, bringing her hands to her face as she finally feels the freedom to let the tears she's been holding back all night to fall from her eyes.

* * *

 **A/N:** So, there's a little bit of the backstory between the two, but there's a lot more to come in the remaining three chapters (much more will be revealed in the next chapter, including the details of how they met and what happened, and then we'll find out what's in store for them in the future). Admittedly when I said this would be finished by Christmas Eve I was thinking there was still two weeks to go, not one (note to self: look at a calendar before making promises), but I'm going to do my best to get it all posted by then. If for some reason I fall behind, it should only be a few days late.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Let's get right to it, shall we? Lots of backstory and drama coming your way.

* * *

When Regina awakens the next morning, the guest house is eerily quiet. She rolls over to verify the time on her phone, thinking that the digital clock on the nightstand might not be accurate. But, the phone confirms it: 9:34 a.m. After rolling the crick out of her neck, she drags herself out of bed and into the kitchen, planning to have a quick breakfast before facing whatever fresh hell is thrown her way today.

She rifles through the kitchen cabinets and pulls out a can of opened coffee grounds. A quick sniff confirms that they still seem to be fresh, and she deems that good enough for her. After four years of medical school and four years of residency, she's learned to tolerate almost any coffee as long as it's caffeinated. As she waits for the coffee to brew, she notices a piece of paper in the center of the island, which she immediately picks up:

 _Regina —_

 _We're all in the main house. We didn't want to wake you this early, but feel free to join us when you see this. Your mother mentioned something about Christmas Eve brunch at 11._

 _Emma_

Regina rolls her eyes as she pours herself a cup of coffee. _Of course, now she leaves a note_ , she thinks to herself. She takes her time savoring the mediocre coffee, enjoying the respite from her family and indulging in her solitude as she looks around the cottage. While she generally hates being back in Storybrooke, she won't deny that a small part of her enjoys the nostalgia. She spent a lot of time in this guest house during her childhood, particularly in high school. She and Zelena always argued over who would get to move in, thinking it would be like having their own apartment as teenagers. Much to their chagrin, neither girl ever got their wish. But, as they got older, Cora and Henry did allow the girls to have sleepovers in the guest house, giving them the illusion of independence and privacy. Regina spent many Saturday nights with her friends camped out on the floor of the guest house living room and burning popcorn on the stove. It was also where she had been dared by one of her friends to kiss her best friend Kathryn at a slumber party when they were fifteen. Never being one to back down from a dare, they had both shrugged and obliged. It had been Regina's first kiss with another girl, and it confirmed her suspicions about herself — she was falling in love with her best friend. Her very straight best friend. She buried her feelings, never revealing to the other girl how she felt. She had smiled when Kathryn talked about her crush on James, the captain of Storybrooke High School's lacrosse team, ignoring her own unease. She had forced a grin as she stood next to her best friend when they posed for prom pictures on her parents' grand staircase, Kathryn wrapped securely in James' arms as Regina tried to ignore the awkward feeling of Jefferson's hands around her own waist. (It turns out, Jefferson was just as uncomfortable with it. It took him a little longer to realize it, but he's also gay.) Fortunately, by the time she stood next to her as the maid of honor at Kathryn's wedding shortly after they all graduated college, Regina had moved on. The smile on Regina's face in the wedding photographs is finally genuine.

She decides to forgo breakfast so she'll be hungry enough for brunch —a brunch that she is already dreading — so she heads back into her room to get dressed for the day. Ordinarily she would wear yoga pants and a well-worn sweatshirt to lounge around all day, but she knows her mother will expect nothing less than the best, even for a casual at-home brunch. Still wanting to be comfortable, she picks up the nice pair of black knit leggings that she brought, which can almost pass for dress slacks. She throws on an oversized white and grey cable knit sweater and runs a brush through her hair before making the short trek to the main house.

"Oh, you decided to join us," Cora says as soon as Regina walks through the back door. Her mother almost sounds disappointed, standing in the kitchen as she prepares a tray of tea. "Everyone is in the sitting room, if you would like to participate."

"Thank you, Mother," she says as she toes off her boots and sets her purse on the counter before making her way to the front of the house. She had made a promise to herself on the short walk from the guest cottage that she will try to be as civil toward her mother and her sister as she can for the remainder of her trip. Since she is going to be stuck here for the next two days, she wants to make it as painless as possible.

"Good morning," she greets as she walks into the room, plastering the fake smile she's perfected over the years onto her face as she looks around the room. Leopold is sitting in one of the two tall wingback chairs in the center of the seating arrangement facing the fireplace, and she can only assume that the open chair is her mother's. David and Mary-Margaret are cuddled together on one side of the loveseat, while a small boy plays a handheld video game at the other end. Across from the loveseat is a larger sofa, where Zelena and Emma sit at opposite ends. Because the gods seem to hate her, the only open spot is the one in between them. _Awesome_ , Regina thinks to herself as she briefly considers just sitting on the floor next to the sofa. Knowing her mother would have something to say about it if she did, she relents and sheepishly approaches the sofa, taking the center cushion. She can feel Emma's eyes watching her, so she tries her best to look disinterested. But, she can't stop herself and mutters a sarcastic and passive-aggressive "Thanks for the note," as she settles herself against the back of the couch.

Regina sees something flash in Emma's eyes quickly, but it's gone before she can truly register it. "You're welcome," is all that the blonde says, before turning her attention back to her father, who is regaling the family with tales from the freshman seminar he taught that semester. Sensing the brunette's discomfort, Emma adjusts her position on the couch, leaning into the arm of the sofa and being careful not to touch the other woman, giving Regina more space.

And Regina is thankful for that. She sends Emma a small smile of gratitude, but the blonde doesn't seem to notice. Despite Regina's anger toward the woman she's spent the last eighteen months hating, she still finds the blonde intoxicating. Even in her dressed-down state — she's wearing dark wash skinny jeans, a red long-sleeve tee and a cream-colored scarf —Regina can't help but feel attracted to the blonde. She even finds herself silently chuckling as she notices Emma's feet propped up on the coffee table, the top-hat wearing penguins on her socks clearly visible. Emma is equal parts hot and adorable, and Regina forces herself to focus on anything else…anything that isn't the woman next to her.

Her mother returns to the living room a few minutes later, the sterling silver tea tray filled with a kettle and exquisite ceramic teacups. Cora excuses herself once more to go get the rest of the cups and tea packets, as the tray is not large enough to hold it all in one trip. Zelena eagerly jumps up to assist, nearly tripping over her own feet as she does so, and Regina can't help but think that the redhead is going to a lot of trouble to be the perfect daughter. It's not like it's a hard feat to accomplish, considering the disdain Cora holds for Regina. Being straight is already more than enough for Zelena to be Cora's favorite. She doesn't need to pile it on.

 ***.*.***

Cora serves brunch right on schedule, the clanging of the grandfather clock in the foyer announcing the start of the eleventh hour. They all gather around the dining room table, which is adorned with the china set Regina recognizes as her mother's second fanciest set. This time, Regina manages to avoid sitting next to Emma, but instead ends up across from the blonde. She isn't sure which is worse.

Regina looks around the room, impressed at how clean and organized it is after last night's festivities. There is no sign of the ridiculous ice sculpture that was there the night before, and Regina wonders if there's a melting Christmas tree hiding by the trashcan behind the house. Dishes are passed efficiently around the table, pulling Regina from her curiosity as she scoops a helping of scrambled eggs with vegetables onto her plate. "These look and smell wonderful, Mother," she offers, because they really do. While she and Cora have many differences, the one thing they have always shared is a love of cooking. Regina knows it probably killed her mother to hire caterers for her own engagement party the night before, and she's guessing Leopold is the reason she ultimately agreed to it. Her mother would never pass up the opportunity to show of her culinary skills to guests.

"Thank you, Gina," Cora says, still refusing to use Regina's given name.

The conversation over brunch is rather mundane, but fortunately that means they stick to relatively safe topics — David talks about the cute kids he's treated at his office, while Cora discusses some of the upcoming plans for Storybrooke Square, a plot of land in the center of town that's undergoing redevelopment. Regina catches Emma looking at her from across the table, and when the blonde realizes she's been caught, instead of quickly looking away, she holds Regina's stare as she picks up her mimosa and takes a sip in a silent challenge. Regina feels herself blushing and is the one to break their eye contact. When she glances back over at the blonde a few seconds later, she notices the blonde smirking and raising an eyebrow. Regina rolls her eyes and turns back toward David, who is talking with Leopold about the importance of childhood vaccinations and ethical debates around the issue. As the only other physician at the table, they ask Regina for her opinion and she says that she thinks herd immunity is critical for those who are too compromised to be vaccinated themselves. David and Leopold nod their heads in agreement.

As the brunch continues, and after a few under the table nudges from the blonde that she no longer believes are accidental, Regina finds herself thinking back over her convoluted history with the infuriating woman across from her. It plays in her head like a montage from a romantic comedy, except there's nothing funny or cute about it:

It all started more than a decade ago. Regina was a junior in college at the time and was returning for her spring semester after winter break. She hadn't gone home to Storybrooke for Christmas that year, as she and Daniel were planning to announce that they were calling off their engagement, and she knew she wouldn't be welcomed in her mother's house once it was official. So, she didn't even bother to go visit beforehand, knowing the added anguish she would be inflicting upon herself when her mother ultimately disowned her. Instead, she had gone to visit her father, who had just moved to North Carolina. He had been shocked and confused when she came out to him, but with time he had grown to accept and love his daughter for who she was. Regina had called her mother the night before New Year's Eve that year to tell her the engagement was over and that she would never be forced into marrying a man. Regina had listened patiently while her mother berated her over the phone, telling her she was lucky that her dorm and tuition were already paid for the spring semester because she was cutting Regina off — as far as Cora was concerned, she now only had one daughter. After her mother had disconnected the call, Regina's father pulled her into his arms and held her as she cried. Even though she had expected the reaction she got from Cora, the rejection still hurt.

That next morning, Regina had flown back to Washington, D.C. to attend Jefferson's New Year's Eve party, and that's where the blonde would walk into her life in a stunning and scandalous black sequined mini-dress. It turns out Emma was the cousin of Jefferson's roommate's girlfriend, and she was in town visiting for the holidays. From the moment Emma walked in, Regina was mesmerized in a way she had never been before. After a few Jello shots to gather her courage and calm her anxieties, she had approached the blonde and introduced herself. As they continued to drink throughout the night, Regina told Emma the story of what had happened with Daniel and her mother the night before, and the blonde had been extremely empathetic. She's not sure when it happened, but at some point during the party, Emma had kissed her. It hadn't been a predatory action, but instead it was a gentle, emotional kiss of support. As the night progressed and their blood alcohol levels undoubtedly continued to rise, they had ended up ringing in the new year in Jefferson's other roommate's bed. (He had been on vacation in Hawaii with his family, and since the dorms weren't open over winter break, Regina had been crashing there for a few days). Regina wishes she could remember the specific details, but most of the night is hazy at best. She does remember telling Emma that she had never been with a woman before (leaving out the detail that she had never been with a guy, either, for fear that Emma wouldn't want to continue if she knew she was a virgin). The blonde had reassured her that she would teach her everything she needed to know, and Regina vaguely remembers commenting that she has always been a good student and a quick learner. While she may not remember the intimate details of the night, she does remember thoroughly enjoying herself. Even today, she doesn't regret it. Emma had been there for her on one of the hardest days of her life, and she still appreciates the support Emma gave her that night.

If she and Emma had only been together that one drunken night in college, that would be one thing. But, that wasn't the end of it. Regina continues her stroll down memory lane as her family continues to talk around her. This time, her memory takes her back to a random night in Boston five and a half years after their first encounter:

It had been the week before Regina was scheduled to start her residency program, and she was visiting Kathryn in Boston. Kathryn had purchased tickets to an art gallery exhibit opening, but she had ended up getting food poisoning and was unable to attend. She had told Regina to go without her and to give the other ticket away to someone at the gallery. Regina had done just that, handing her extra ticket to a random art student who had been hoping to buy a ticket to the sold-out show at the door. Upon entering the gallery, Regina saw a blonde figure in a short, black dress looking at one of the new paintings. _It can't be_ , she had thought to herself, but when the woman turned around, she realized that it was the blonde she had fallen into bed with all those years ago. This time her dress's hemline was slightly longer, though it still revealed a generous portion of the blonde's enticing legs, (legs that had felt so good intertwined with her own), and it still accented her subtle curves beautifully. "Regina," the blonde had said when she spotted the brunette. Regina had arched an eyebrow and had asked, _you remember me?_ The blonde had smiled that charming smile and said "of course. I could never forget about you." That was all it took for Regina to get sucked back into the blonde woman's web. They stuck close together most of the night, flirting and stealing a few chaste kisses on the cheek when no one was looking. And aside from a few complimentary glasses of champagne, this time they remained sober. This time, Regina wanted to make sure she would remember their night together.

And she does remember it. Vividly.

That night they had gone back to Emma's hotel room, where they spent most of the night pleasuring one another under the glow of the city lights pouring in from the window. They had parted ways in the morning, mutually agreeing that this was nothing more than one additional night of passion — nothing more than a happenstance meeting. If circumstances would make them cross paths again, well, maybe then they would exchange last names and phone numbers. Maybe it would be fate's way of pushing them together. But until that happened, they would just be Emma and Regina, two strangers who had the fortune of coming together in more ways than one.

And even if they had left it there, after that second chance encounter, Regina would be fine. She wouldn't currently be sitting at the brunch table doing her best to calm her increasing anxiety as she refuses to look at the woman across from her, the woman with whom she had been so vulnerable over the years. While those first two memories are pleasant ones, the most recent memory still burns her, forcing her to bite back the bitter taste in her mouth and grip the seat of her chair a little tighter until her knuckles turn white. The final time, the time that destroyed her, was only a year and a half ago:

Regina had been in Palm Springs for a friend's bachelorette party, wildly dancing and completely carefree under the disco lights of the club. As luck (or misfortune, as the case might be) would have it, Emma had also been there that night, celebrating her friend's 30th birthday. They didn't bump into each other on the dance floor or even at the bar, as that would have been less prophetic. No, they literally ran into each other in the restroom — Emma had been entering just as Regina was exiting. It was only when Regina reached out a hand to steady herself, grabbing the woman's forearms to apologize and make sure she was okay, that she realized who was standing in front of her. Neither woman had time to find her words before they crashed together once again, their lips colliding and tongues dueling for dominance, not caring that they were giving the women in line for the restroom a show. They had quickly exited the club together, pausing only long enough so Regina could tell one of her friends that she was leaving while the blonde did the same. Regina's hotel was closer than Emma's, just across the street, and they quickly made their way up to her room. It was still relatively early in the night, so they put the time they had together to good use. This time, though, it felt different to Regina. It was no longer only about sex. This time, it held a promise. Emma had even brought it up, saying, "Third time's a charm. Fate must be trying to tell us something," in between their heated kisses as she wedged her thigh between Regina's in the hotel elevator on the way to the room. She had also finally given Regina her last name, confirming that it was no longer a casual hookup. Regina had nodded her head and agreed, telling Emma her full name and saying she was more than willing to find out what fate had planned.

That night in Regina's hotel room had been magical, in Regina's opinion, until she woke up the next morning to an empty bed. When she had forced herself to sit up that morning, there was no sign of the blonde, making her wonder for a brief second if it had all been a dream. However, the teeth marks on her shoulder and the strand of long blonde hair that had caught in one of her rings (a result of tugging on the woman's head when it had been buried between her thighs, no doubt) confirmed that it had indeed been real. She looked around the room for a note explaining why Emma had left, or anything of the blonde's that indicated that she would be coming back, that maybe she had just gone out to grab breakfast. Regina tried not to let herself cling to hope as she waited in her room for the blonde to return with a bag of pastries from the bakery down the street, but after two hours she resigned herself to the truth: Emma had just been interested in another night of meaningless sex and was too much of a coward to own up to her intentions. Feeling exceptionally pathetic, Regina had hastily thrown her things back into her suitcase, opting for an early checkout so she could get to the airport well in advance of her evening flight. She couldn't stand to be in the room for one more minute, not even long enough to shower off the scent of the blonde woman that still lingered on her skin. As she walked out of the hotel room that morning, she vowed to never let herself get caught up with Emma Swan ever again. She despises the woman, and she hates the universe for giving her false hope.

As Regina replays that final moment over in her head, she can't take it. "Excuse me," she says suddenly, standing up from the table and disrupting the brunch conversation.

"Is everything all right, dear?" Cora asks, perplexed by her daughter's peculiar behavior.

Regina takes a breath, hoping her voice is steady. "Yes, Mother. I just remembered I have a patient who I need to check in on."

"It's a holiday, dear, surely someone else can do it? You're not even in the same state," Cora argues.

"True, but she's a nervous first-time mother who just had a test done the other day. Her results should have come in this morning, and I really should check," Regina lies, grateful that she was able to think of a cover story quickly. "I will be back in a few minutes. Carry on, please."

She makes a beeline for the kitchen, grabbing her phone out of her purse and stepping outside and onto the deck. She pretends to make a call just in case anyone is watching her, holding her silent phone to her ear as she turns around to look out over the backyard, keeping her back to the house. It's freezing, but the cold air helps settle her, allows her to focus on the present instead of getting lost in the memories that haunt her. She counts her breaths in her mind, inhaling for a count of three and exhaling for a count of six, repeating until she hits ten cycles and then starts again. When she hears the sliding door open behind her, she quickly recovers, saying, "Excellent, thank you. I appreciate your help. I'll see you on Thursday, and Merry Christmas," to the non-existent person on the other end of her phone. She's not sure who has decided to join her outside, but she can venture a guess.

"Is everything okay with your patient?" the voice asks, and Regina sighs. Of course it's Emma.

"Yes, she'll be fine," Regina replies.

"Good, I'm glad," she says, taking a few steps closer. "And how about you?"

Regina turns around, thankful that she's managing to keep her tears at bay. "What about me?"

"Are you okay? You looked pretty spooked in there, all of a sudden."

Regina pretends to smile. "Of course I'm okay. I just felt bad that I had forgotten Mrs. G's lab results were due back this morning, and I wanted to make sure everything looked good."

"Are you sure that's it?" Emma asks, clearly doubting Regina's story as she searches her eyes for evidence of a lie. Regina isn't sure how she does it, they barely know each other outside of the bedroom, but Emma has this annoying way of always being able to see right through her.

"Yes, Emma, I'm sure," she says definitively. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to go finish my breakfast." Regina pushes past the blonde and heads back inside, tossing her phone in her purse before hesitating in the kitchen. She doesn't head back to the dining room, and instead detours toward the back hall near the powder room, needing a few more minutes to compose herself before she faces everyone again. She takes a seat on the same back staircase where she had spoken with Daniel the night before, leaning her back against the wall and extending her legs out along the width of the step. It isn't long before the blonde joins her, sitting a few steps below her on the stairs. "Emma, I don't want to talk to you right now," she warns.

"I know," Emma replies, staring down at her own hands that are resting on her knees. "We don't have to talk. I just figured I could use a few minutes of a break from them, too, so I thought I might keep you company."

Regina closes her eyes as she leans her head against the wall behind her, defeated. "Whatever," she says, unable to come up with a better response.

After several minutes of sitting in silence, during which Regina spends most of her time gawking at the back of the blonde's head and remembering what it felt like to tangle her fingers in her hair, Emma sighs and turns to look at Regina. She looks as though she wants to say something, but at the last minute she stops herself, remaining silent but not turning away from the intriguing brunette.

Regina meets the blonde's eyes and finds herself getting lost in the depths of the green staring back at her. The intensity of their shared gaze is felt by both women, as they each try to figure out what the other is thinking. Regina breaks first, standing up and starting the descent down the stairs. Emma quickly rises and starts to follow her with the intention of returning to the table, but she is stopped when Regina unexpectedly turns around at the bottom of the stairs, causing the blonde to nearly crash into her.

Before she can think better of it, Regina is grabbing Emma's wrist and pulling her around the corner of the staircase into the back hallway where they are hidden from view, just in case someone wanders into the kitchen. She is pressed against her, pinning Emma between her body and the wall that is covered in the hideous floral wallpaper her mother refuses to change. Barely a second goes by before Regina's mouth is on Emma's, biting at her lower lip the way she knows the blonde likes, nearly to the point of drawing blood, and she's rewarded when she hears the woman softly moan. She continues her assault on Emma's lips, gliding her tongue along the crease, and the blonde is eagerly receptive. Regina knows this is a bad idea, that this will ultimately cause her more pain. But as she runs her short nails under Emma's top, letting her thumb graze the underside of her bra-covered breast as Emma's hands find the swell of Regina's ass, she finds that she doesn't care. She lets herself enjoy it while it lasts. She justifies it knowing that this time, she will be the one to walk away. This time, she's the one in control. This time, she can be the one to leave Emma questioning everything and wanting more. Emma can spend the next few years hating her instead. Maybe then, it will be easier for Regina to move past it.

As quickly as she started it Regina ends it, stepping back from the blonde and looking at her with a hardened stare as she swipes her thumb across her bottom lip. She says nothing as she turns and walks away, returning to the table and apologizing for the disruption as she returns to her meal.

 ***.*.***

The rest of the day carries on as normally as one could expect, given the circumstances. Emma returns to the brunch table moments after Regina, looking slightly flustered and causing the brunette to feel a strange sense of twisted pride. In the afternoon, Leopold insists on watching _A Christmas Story_ , an annual Christmas Eve tradition in the Blanchard household, which everyone agrees to with varying levels of enthusiasm. Regina is the first to sit down on the couch, and she feels victorious when Emma chooses to sit on the opposite side of the room. During the movie, Regina finds herself getting distracted by Neal, who is not the best at sitting through a non-animated film at his young age, so she takes the opportunity to spend some time with the boy playing checkers. She lets him win every time, and the six-year-old boy charms his way into her heart. Maybe not everyone in this soon-to-be blended family is terrible.

When the movie ends, David suggests making it a double feature, and Leopold excitedly jumps up to find something on the DVD rack. They turn on _Christmas Vacation_ , which is a bit too low-brow for Cora's tastes, so she heads to the kitchen to occupy herself with preparing Christmas Eve dinner — a honey glazed ham, risotto with greens, and roasted sweet potatoes. Regina loves this movie, but she can't relax enough to enjoy it. She catches Emma stealing glances toward her, and she suddenly feels ashamed for how she behaved earlier. Rather than sit and stew in her own guilt, she excuses herself, saying that she's going to go for a jog while the sun is out and the temperature is slightly above freezing. She's not actually a jogger, but no one here needs to know that. The fresh air will do her some good, and she could use a walk to clear her head. As she heads back to the guest house to change clothes, she prays that Emma doesn't follow her. Much to her relief, she doesn't.

After spending nearly an hour wandering around the streets of Storybrooke and walking by her old favorite spots —Granny's Diner, which is closed for the holiday, along with the dress shop where she briefly worked in high school — she makes her way back to the guest house. She's relieved to find that neither Emma nor Zelena are inside, realizing that they must still be in the main house. She showers, allowing herself some extra time to stand and enjoy the hot water that soothes her muscles and warms her up after being outside in the cold. She redresses herself in the clothes she wore to brunch and decides to head back to the main house, as there's only a half hour before dinner is scheduled to be served and she knows better than to be late.

"Oh good, you're back," Cora deadpans as Regina walks in.

"How was your jog?" Zelena asks sarcastically as she pours a glass of chardonnay and inspects the food her mother has started to pull out from the oven.

"It was lovely, thanks," Regina answers with her own bite of sarcasm, grabbing a glass herself and taking the bottle from her sister.

"Regina, dear, I do hope you brought something a little more appropriate for church," her mother says, eyeing her sweater and knit leggings with Cora's trademark judgmental stare.

"Church?" Regina asks, nearly dropping the bottle of wine. "Since when do you go to church?"

"It's Christmas Eve, dear, of course we're going to Mass," Cora says as though Regina just asked the most ridiculous question in the world.

"We've never gone to church on Christmas Eve…or really ever, for that matter," Regina says, still baffled. "Is this a Leopold thing?"

"Is what a Leopold thing?" Emma asks as she comes into the kitchen. There's a hint of irritation in her tone.

"Christmas Eve Mass," Regina replies.

Emma laughs, the anger dissipating from her voice as she realizes Regina isn't insulting her beloved father. "No. Not that I'm aware of."

Emma's answer has Regina turning back to her mother. "So, what's with the sudden religious spirit?"

"It's a tradition Leopold and I started a few years ago. You would both know that if you had been here for Christmas the last few years."

"Yeah, I think I'll pass," Regina says, taking a sip of her wine.

"Ditto," Emma replies.

"It's not optional," Cora says, sending a pointed look at Regina and then Emma. "If you're staying in this house, you will go. Besides, Regina, it will be good for you to be reminded of our moral values."

Regina can feel her rage building while Zelena snickers from her spot on the other side of the counter. She happens to glance over at Emma, who is standing there uncomfortably and looking back and forth between the three other women. Regina can detect the sympathy in Emma's eyes and she can't take it. Regina says nothing as she picks up her glass of wine and leaves the room.

Emma follows her out, catching up to her as Regina places her glass down on the dining room table and takes a seat. "Was that a thinly-veiled reference to…"

"Yes," Regina says, not needing Emma to finish her question. She knows Emma remembers everything she had told her about her mother's rejection when they first met. "While most of society may have changed their views for the better over the last decade, it's clear she hasn't."

"I'm sorry, Regina," Emma says. "If you need to talk…"

"Thanks, but I don't. I knew what to expect from her when I came home. Aside from you being here, there have been no surprises."

Dinner is a quiet affair, all things considered. There are no further mentions of Christmas Eve Mass, but instead it's more mindless chatter about events of the world and suggestions for things to do in Storybrooke over the upcoming days. David's parents are planning to drive into town early tomorrow morning in time for Christmas, after spending Christmas Eve with his sister in Vermont. It will be their first visit to the quaint Maine town. They'll be staying in the spare room in the main house for the duration of their stay, which answers Regina's question as to why Zelena is staying in the guest house when there's a perfectly good and empty guest bedroom upstairs.

"One of the babies is dancing on my bladder…yet again. Excuse me," Mary-Margaret says as she rises from the table to go to the restroom, only to return moments later looking frantic as she lays a splayed hand across her belly: "My water just broke."

* * *

 **A/N:** So, our ladies have had quite the few run-ins in the past, haven't they? And Regina is struggling quite a bit with everything that's been brought to the surface over the last 24 hours and is maybe not handling it in the most constructive manner, but she'll work through it. The next chapter is already written (it's actually the first chapter I completed/wrote in tandem with chapter 1, so I'll post it early tomorrow :) It looks like I should be able to stay on track to have this finished by Sunday, and it turns out there will be six chapters, not five, and there will be a satisfying ending for SQ fans. Thanks again for reading and reviewing!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Some medical descriptions ahead (you probably saw that coming given how the last chapter ended), but nothing too graphic...not nearly as bad as the birthing video everyone is forced to watch in freshman biology in high school :P

* * *

"Have you had any contractions?" Regina asks, immediately getting up from the table and going over to the startled pregnant woman. David isn't far behind, rushing to his wife's side.

Mary-Margaret nods her head as her face winces and she screams out in pain. "I thought they were Braxton Hicks. That's what they told me last week at my check-up, and I had them with Neal up until I was 38 weeks, so I didn't think they were the real deal."

Regina nods. "Well, twins often come early. I don't think what you've been feeling were Braxton Hicks. We should get you to the hospital."

"No, it's too early," Mary-Margaret says, squeezing David's hand as a stronger contraction hits her.

"You're at 36 weeks. That's not too early for twins, and frankly it doesn't seem like your babies want to wait much longer to join us."

"But they're not ready," Mary-Margaret reiterates as a tear rolls down her cheek, although whether it's due to the pain of her contractions or her fear, she isn't sure.

Regina looks to David for clarification, because she's not following Mary-Margaret's concerns. More than half of the twins she's delivered in her practice were born at 36 weeks, sometimes even earlier. It's not uncommon or more high-risk than any other multiple birth.

"Twin B wasn't in the right position during her ultrasound last week. Our OB said that it would probably flip over the next few weeks," David explains.

Regina pauses and looks at him. "What position?"

"Complete breech."

It's not great news, but it could certainly be worse. "Okay. Well, hopefully the baby has already shifted, but if not, there are things they can do. It's not that uncommon, but we should get her to the hospital now," Regina urges.

The rest of the family have already started getting their coats and keys, and Emma quickly runs upstairs to pack a bag for Mary-Margaret. "We'll need two cars. I'll drive you and David over now, and Leopold can drive everyone else when they're ready," Cora says to Mary-Margaret as she grabs her purse and starts to usher the couple out toward the garage.

"What about Neal? It's late and this might take a long time," Mary-Margaret says.

"I can stay with him here," Zelena offers. "I can drive him over whenever you want me to."

"Thank you, Zelena," David says gratefully.

"Okay, you better go now," Regina says.

"Regina, you'll ride with us? Please?" Mary-Margaret asks the other brunette.

"Of course."

 ***.*.***

"I feel like I need to push," Mary-Margaret says from the backseat.

"You are not giving birth in my car, dear," Cora orders as they drive down the deserted country road.

Regina rolls her eyes, because of course Cora's main concern is her leather upholstery. "Mary-Margaret, do not push. Not yet. Mother, do you have a flashlight in the glove compartment?"

"Yes."

"David, hand it to me?"

"What are you doing?" he asks.

"Making sure this car isn't about to have at least one more passenger," she says, taking the flashlight from him before reaching into her purse and bathing her hands in sanitizer. She pulls out a pair of latex gloves from the small package she keeps on her. She's learned that it never hurts to be prepared — after delivering a baby on a stalled subway car last year, Regina doesn't go anywhere without gloves. "Mother, drive very carefully. Mary-Margaret, lay back and shift toward me." The mother-to-be shimmies down on the back seat as Regina crawls into the floorspace between the passenger seat and the backseat to give Mary-Margaret enough room. She holds the flashlight in her left hand so she can see what she's doing. "This may be a bit uncomfortable and awkward, but I'll be quick." When Mary-Margaret nods her consent, Regina quickly conducts an exam and sighs in relief at what she feels. "You're not there yet, but you're close. You're completely effaced but only dilated seven centimeters. Sit back up and buckle yourself in. And Mother, do hurry this along. We have time, but not as much as I'd like. These babies aren't going to wait much longer."

Five minutes later Cora turns off the main road and onto a side street. "We're almost there," she says as they approach the single-story building, driving past a sign with a glowing "H" and an arrow. The neon sign looks like it belongs in the early 1980s.

"This is the hospital?" Regina asks as they pull up to the emergency room at Storybrooke Community Hospital. The building looks smaller than the local elementary school. "What happened to the old hospital?"

"It was bought out by a large healthcare corporation and relocated to another town. That land is now a strip mall," her mother casually replies. "We built this five years ago to handle routine and minor emergency situations."

David looks back from his place in the passenger seat, checking to see how his wife is doing. "How are you, honey?"

"It hurts!" she screams as another contraction hits, grabbing his hand.

"The last two were just under three minutes apart," Regina comments, looking at her watch. "You're progressing really quickly, Mary-Margaret. We should get you inside so you can meet your babies."

"Okay," the pixie-haired brunette chokes out as she tries to focus on her breathing and the brief respite between the painful uterine contractions.

Regina runs ahead of Cora and David, who stay back to help Mary-Margaret into a wheelchair they found near the emergency room entrance. "We have a woman in labor, 36 weeks with twins. At least one membrane is ruptured and at her last visit Twin B was in a non-vertex position," Regina rattles off to the woman behind the desk in the emergency room. "She's from out of town so she doesn't have an OB here, so whoever is on-call or available will do."

"Okay… Um, there isn't one," the startled woman behind the desk says.

Regina looks up shocked. "What? What do you mean there isn't one? This is a hospital, isn't it?"

"Yes, but our only obstetrician is on vacation. None of our planned delivery patients are due anytime soon, so…"

"You're telling me you only have one OB on staff in this entire hospital?"

"Um, yes?"

"Jesus."

"We have several family practitioners, though. None of them are in since it's a holiday, but one is on-call. I can call him if you'd like?"

It takes all of Regina's willpower not to strangle the incompetent woman sitting across from her. She reads the woman's nametag that is pinned to her pink cardigan. "Yes, perhaps you should do that, Ashley. Who is the family practitioner on call?"

"His name is Viktor Whale."

"How many babies does he deliver a year?"

"I don't know…maybe five?"

"Of course," Regina scoffs.

"Regina, what's going on?" Emma asks as she approaches the desk. Regina turns around, surprised that Emma is already there, and sees that Mary-Margaret has already been whisked away into an exam room. Leopold is running in after them, throwing his keys to a random ER volunteer and ordering the young man to park his car. It's currently in the drop-off lane with its hazard lights flashing.

"This tiny excuse for a hospital doesn't have an OB, and their on-call family doc delivers fewer babies per year than I deliver in a day," Regina comments. "Fuck it," she says turning back to Ashley. "Who do I have to talk to to get privileges here?"

"What?"

"I'm an OBGYN, and it sounds like this Dr. Whale is not remotely qualified to handle the delivery of twins, especially since there may need to be an emergency C-section if the second baby doesn't flip. So, who do I have to talk to in order to get privileges to treat a patient in this hospital?"

"Um, I don't know."

"Of course you don't…idiot," she mutters under her breath. "Well, figure it out, because apparently, I'm delivering these babies. Dr. Whale can assist when he finally shows up," Regina says. "Where can I get scrubs?"

"Um, in the supply closet. Go through those doors and turn left. It'll be the second door on your right."

"Thank you. And please call the OR and make sure they're ready in case this turns into a cesarean," Regina says as she turns to follow Ashley's directions to the closet.

"Oh, the OR won't be available for another hour and a half, at least."

"What?" Regina turns back to face Ashley.

"Our general surgeon is heading up now with an appendectomy."

"Okay, so get me another OR."

"We only have the one," Ashley says, having the good sense to cower at the glare she knows she's about to receive from Regina.

Regina takes a deep breath but says nothing as she turns around and barges through the doors dividing the treatment area from the waiting room, causing them to bang loudly as they crash against the wall. She sees her mother standing in the hall outside an exam room and grabs her by the elbow, pulling her into the supply closet with her as she looks for a change of clothes.

"Why the fuck do you have a hospital with only one operating room?" Regina shouts at her mother as she rifles through the stack of scrubs looking for her size.

"Do not use that tone or that language with me, young lady," Cora scolds.

Regina ignores the reprimand. "You are the mayor, and your fiancé went to med school. Hell, all the doctors here did, too. How the hell did anyone think one OR is enough? How is that even legal?"

"It's a small town, Regina. We don't do fancy surgeries here… only outpatient procedures. There are only 18 beds here, and we only have two general surgeons for the most basic surgeries. All traumas and major surgeries are routed to the larger hospital a half hour from here. This is mainly for patching up broken bones and the occasional minor emergency surgery."

"So basically, this 'hospital' is barely one step up from an urgent care clinic. Great," she says, grabbing the scrubs and pushing past her mother to go back into the hallway. She walks into one of the deserted exam rooms, giving herself some privacy to quickly change out of her Christmas Eve dinner attire and don the maroon scrubs.

"What are you doing, Regina?" Cora asks when she sees her daughter re-enter the hallway wearing scrubs.

"I am going to see Mary-Margaret and will be overseeing the delivery, because your lame-ass hospital doesn't have an OBGYN available."

"Dr. Whale should be in town. I saw him last week for my checkup. He's a nice man," Cora says. "Attractive, too. You might like him."

Regina ignores her mother's attempt at setting her up yet again. She can't focus on the rage it stirs up in her now. "He is not an OBGYN. I deliver more babies in one week than he has in his entire career. He's not qualified to handle anything other than a perfectly routine birth, which this is not going to be," she says, pulling her hair back and using the elastic from her wrist to secure it. "And since the front desk is useless and you are mayor, you are going to do whatever is required for me to legally be allowed to practice in this hospital. Call the hospital president, the general counsel, whoever. Declare a state of emergency, if you need to. Just get it done, Mother. Your future step-daughter's and future step-grandchildren's lives may depend on it, and I'm not going to lose my medical license for illegally practicing medicine just because your town is grossly unprepared for a situation like this."

Regina storms away from her mother and walks into the exam room, where a nurse is checking the fetal heartrate monitors as well as Mary-Margaret's vitals. "Here comes another one," the nurse says, noting the spike on the contraction monitor.

While Mary-Margaret screams through the pain of the contraction, Regina quickly checks all the monitors herself, relieved that they are all looking as they should.

"What's with the getup?" David asks, eyeing Regina's scrubs.

"There's no OB here, and the on-call primary care doc doesn't routinely deliver babies. Based on what you told me about Twin B being breech, honestly, I'm the best person to do this," she says, before turning toward her future step-sister. "Mary-Margaret, ordinarily physicians aren't supposed to treat their own family, but given the circumstances, and since we only just met yesterday, I'm going to strongly suggest that I be the one to do this."

"Is that even legal? You don't work here," David asks.

"I asked Mother to make herself useful and get me privileges. All that matters right now is Mary-Margaret and those babies."

The pregnant woman nods. "That's fine, Regina. Please, just make sure they're okay."

Regina smiles and places a reassuring hand on Mary-Margaret's ankle. "That's why I'm here. Nurse…" Regina trails off, realizing she doesn't know the woman's name.

"Belle."

"Nurse Belle, how dilated is she now?" Regina asks the nurse as she skims through the chart.

"Oh, I don't know. We're waiting for the doctor to come do the exam."

"The doctor who isn't here?" Regina raises an eyebrow. "There hasn't been any other doctor to come in and check on her since she arrived? You don't have an emergency physician hanging around here?"

"No…he is with the surgeon in the OR, and we didn't bother paging him because Ashley said that Dr. Whale is on his way. He should be here in twenty minutes."

"Unbelievable," Regina says to herself as she pulls on a pair of gloves. "Okay, Mary-Margaret, I'm going to do another exam to see just how much longer you have to go."

"Okay…and then can I have something for the pain? I want the drugs."

"Yeah," Regina answers as she takes her position and guides Mary-Margaret's feet into the stirrups. "Okay, you're at nine centimeters, so you're very close. I think it's too late for an epidural, because you'll likely be ready to deliver before it has time to kick in. We can get you a spinal block though," Regina explains. "Belle, can you call anesthesiology and get someone up here, STAT?"

When Belle doesn't answer and Regina looks up at the startled redhead, she sighs. "You're about to tell me there isn't an anesthesiologist available, aren't you?"

"He's in surgery with the emergency appendectomy."

"And there aren't any others…" Regina asks, already knowing the answer.

"No. Just the one."

"Okay, can you at least get me the drugs? I'll do it myself," she says.

"Is that wise?" David asks, speaking up for the first time since Regina took control of the room. "You're not an anesthesiologist."

"No, I'm not, but I do these relatively frequently. I know what I'm doing, and believe me, she's going to want drugs for what's to come. Mary-Margaret, are you allergic to any medications?"

"No."

"Okay, good. Belle, please go get me a spinal block kit," she says, writing down the medications and dosages she needs on a piece of paper and handing it to the nurse, just as Cora returns to the room. "Are we all good, Mother?"

"Yes. You have temporary privileges."

"Good, thank you."

Belle leaves to go get the requested items as Regina sets up an ultrasound to look at the babies' positioning. All the eyes in the room go to the monitor where two babies are clearly visible, resembling a yin-yang symbol.

"Twin B is still breech," Regina confirms as she hands the ultrasound transducer back to Belle after she returns with the spinal needle and anesthetic. "But, it looks like your water only broke for Twin A, which is good. That gives us a little more time and more options for the delivery of Twin B." She asks Mary-Margaret to sit up and move to the edge of the bed so she can administer the spinal block. "I'm going to give you a local anesthetic to numb the area first, and then I'll give the spinal," she explains as she guides Mary-Margaret into the correct position before turning to the family. "Can all of you go over there?" she gestures to the opposite side of the room, so that Mary-Margaret's family doesn't have to watch her insert a four-inch needle into her spinal column. They quickly follow her instructions and after ensuring a sterile field, she flawlessly performs the procedure. She then helps Mary-Margaret lean back on the bed and tells her that she should start feeling numb within few seconds.

"Can you do a C-section? At least for Twin B?" David asks as Regina moves back toward the foot of the bed, changing out her gloves once more.

"If you get me an OR, absolutely. But things are progressing way too quickly to move her to another hospital, and this glorified clinic doesn't have more than one operating room, which is currently in use. I'm not going to open her up in a random exam room when it's just me and a nurse, unless I have absolutely no choice."

"I don't want surgery…no C-section," Mary-Margaret pleads.

David looks back at his concerned wife. "Mary-Margaret, if it will help keep you and the babies safe…"

"It's not an option," Regina interrupts. "Unless they can get the appendectomy kid off the table and the OR turned over in the next ten minutes, it can't happen. This is going to have to be a vaginal delivery, and we have to hope that everything turns out to be a textbook procedure. I'd like to have surgical supplies on hand if, God forbid, I do need to do a bedside C-section, but that is the absolute last resort," she says, looking over to Belle who nods and goes to retrieve the necessary materials.

"So, what are you thinking, then?" David asks. As a pediatrician he's not involved in the childbirth process, but he remembers learning it as part of his medical training years ago, before his residency, and from the few he observes each year. "Can you do an ECV?"

"Not all of us here are doctors," Emma reminds them from where she's standing in the corner of the room next to her father and Cora. "What's an ECV?"

"External cephalic version. Basically, I would use my hands on her abdomen to try and rotate the baby into the correct position," Regina explains before turning back to David. "But no, it's not a good idea. I can't do it while Twin A is still inside, and it's not generally the best option after the first birth. It's only successful 25% of the time, so it makes a cesarean more likely."

"Okay, so what else can you do?" Leopold asks, rising from his chair to stand next to his daughter's bed.

Regina takes a deep breath. "Well, I'm still hoping that after Twin A is out, maybe Twin B will rotate on its own once there's more room in there…that happens sometimes. Depending on how the first birth goes, I may need to do an internal podalic version and breech extraction."

"That sounds unpleasant," Emma comments, scrunching up her face. She doesn't know what it is, but she figures anything with the word "extraction" is probably not a good thing.

"Yeah, it's not a walk in the park for anyone. She'll be very happy she has the drugs, if it comes to that," Regina replies, looking over at her patient. She doesn't want to alarm her, but she also wants to make sure she understands what is happening.

"Dare I ask what that entails?" Mary-Margaret asks.

"If the baby stays in a breeched position, I would have to use my hand to internally rotate the baby into a better position, and guide it out manually by its ankles."

"Internally, as in…"

"From within your cervix," Regina confirms, causing everyone else in the room to shudder at the thought. "You're already numbed from the spinal, so you shouldn't feel anything."

"Are there risks to the baby?" Mary-Margaret asks, blinking back tears. David wipes her sweaty bangs out of her eyes.

"There are always risks, but it's really the safest option and minimizes the risk of a C-section, which is what we want. It has a high success rate in terms of avoiding a C-section, and it helps get the baby out quickly," Regina explains.

"I didn't think they did those procedures anymore," David says.

"They don't for single births, except in extremely rare cases when they can't do a C-section. In twins, it's a little more common when the second baby is not in the usual head-down position. The mothers usually opt for surgery in those cases, but sometimes they ask for the manual procedure."

"Have you done it before?" David asks.

"Yes."

"How many? How often?"

Regina smiles, happy that David is asking the right questions. "Probably 15 in my entire career. One, maybe two, per year," Regina answers honestly.

David sighs. "How many of them were successful?"

"All but two. Those I had to ultimately deliver via C-section, and both mom and baby were fine in those two instances."

"When was the last time you did this?"

"Probably seven or eight months ago on an actual patient, but I practice on the simulators and mannequins on a monthly basis so I don't lose the skill. Not all physicians are comfortable doing the procedure, but I like to keep all my options at my fingertips…no pun intended. And honestly, this is the best option, if the second twin doesn't flip on its own. The baby will need to come out quickly, and an elective C-section is not an option here. David, I can do this, if it comes to that," she says, placing her hand on his elbow. "I wouldn't even suggest it if I weren't confident in my abilities."

"And she can't just deliver it in a breech position?" Emma asks.

"No. There are too many risks in this case, and if there were any complications, this hospital is clearly not equipped to handle them."

"Do what you need to do, Regina. I trust you," Mary-Margaret says as she breathes through another contraction, indeed grateful for the painkillers.

"Knock, knock," a voice says from the door. "What did I miss? Do we have a baby yet?"

"Dr. Whale, hello," Cora says with a smile as she approaches the man whose hair is an alarmingly unnatural shade of blonde.

"How are you Cora? And Leopold, I hear you're about to be a grandfather again! Congratulations," Whale smiles as he walks into the room, shaking Leopold's hand and briefly hugging Cora and kissing her on the cheek.

"Yes, indeed, Dr. Whale. We're very excited," Leopold says jovially.

"I hope you brought some cigars," Whale jokes. "And how's the patient?" he asks, grabbing her chart from the table next to the bed and reading through it.

"Good, now that I have drugs," Mary-Margaret says.

"You had a spinal block? Who gave you that? I thought the anesthesiologist was in surgery?" he asks as he looks to Belle, who has been keeping herself busy monitoring all the heartrates and trying to avoid Regina's judgmental stare.

"I did," Regina answers.

"I'm sorry, who are you?"

"Dr. Regina Mills," she says, extending her hand toward the man. "Board certified OBGYN."

"Viktor Whale," he says, shaking her hand firmly. "I wasn't aware we have a new OBGYN on staff."

"You don't. I'm Cora's daughter. Given that this hospital seems to be extremely understaffed and unprepared for this, I stepped in."

"Ah, well, I thank you for your assistance, but I can take it from here, Regina."

Regina scoffs. "I highly doubt that, _Viktor_ ," she says, emphasizing his name since they seem to be forgoing all professional courtesies. "Ashley said you deliver maybe five babies per year?"

"More or less," he shrugs. "But I'm perfectly capable of handling a routine delivery," he says as his eyes blatantly rake over her body, causing Regina to cringe and Emma to feel a twinge of anger in her gut. "But, if it would make you feel better, you're welcome to stay and assist me," he smirks.

She raises an eyebrow. "Did you even read her chart? Nothing about this is a routine delivery. You are not going near her…at least not without explicit instructions from me. If you want to observe and learn something, though, you're welcome to stay," Regina says, not backing down.

Dr. Whale looks over at David and Mary-Margaret, expecting them to say something in his favor. Instead, it's Cora who speaks up. "Gina, don't be rude. I raised you better than that. Dr. Whale is here now, so why don't you let the man do his job."

"Wow," Emma says under her breath from her chair behind Regina. The brunette hears the comment and bites back a smile.

"We will stick with Regina," Mary-Margaret says from her spot in the bed, earning an irritated look from both Whale and Cora.

"Good choice. Now, everyone who isn't David, Belle, or Dr. Whale, please go wait outside," Regina says as she gets into position at the foot of the bed, quickly doing another exam on her future step-sister, confirming that she's fully dilated.

"But we want to stay," Cora says.

"There are too many people in this room, and I need my focus to be solely on Mary-Margaret and the two tiny humans who are about to come out of her, one of whom is about two minutes away from making his or her entrance into the world. So, I don't care if you want to stay. You can't. Someone will come get you when the babies are here. Now, get out," Regina demands. "And Belle, please gown me."

 ***.*.***

"Alright, Mary-Margaret, you're doing great," Regina says as she glances up at the woman who has her new baby boy resting on her chest. "Your water broke for Twin B during the delivery of your son, and the baby is proving to be stubborn and not budging from the breech position, so I'm going to need to do the procedure we talked about earlier."

"Can't you wait a little longer for the baby to move naturally?" she asks.

"No. You're still fully dilated, so it's much safer to do now. And, I can see the baby's buttocks emerging through your cervix, so it's not in a position where it would rotate on its own at this point. I don't want to wait any longer. Although you may feel like you need to, I don't want you to push until I tell you to."

"Okay," the mother nods.

"Belle, can you take Baby Boy Nolan and do the five-minute Apgar while we deliver Twin B?"

The petite nurse does so, carefully taking the newborn from Mary-Margaret's chest and cradling him as she places him into the bassinet next to the bed. David takes Mary-Margaret's hand again in support as they prepare to welcome their third child into the world.

"Okay, you shouldn't feel any pain. You might feel a little bit of pressure depending on how high up the baby moves during the rotation, but it'll be quick."

"Okay," she takes a deep breath.

"Good. David, you don't want to watch this one until I tell you it's okay to look. Here we go," Regina says. She lowers the stool she's sitting on to be in a better position for the procedure and pulls back Mary-Margaret's gown so she has better visualization.

Viktor Whale's eyes widen in alarm as he watches Regina insert her right hand forearm-deep into Mary-Margaret, only to have it emerge delicately gripping the baby's ankle. She gently pulls the baby through, moving to grip the baby's hips as they exit Mary-Margaret's body. "Okay, David, you can look now. And Mary-Margaret, if you feel the need to push, you can." She expertly navigates the rest of the extraction, rotating that infant a few more times and quickly delivering it to minimize complications. "And you have a daughter," Regina says as she places the crying baby on Mary-Margaret's chest after ensuring that everything looks good. She delivers the placentas and goes to work suturing Mary-Margaret due to some tearing during the birth, while the blonde doctor looks like he's about to pass out after what he just observed. "Whale, make yourself useful and do an Apgar on Twin B."

"Sure," he says as he stands up, steadying himself as he walks toward Mary-Margaret and her new daughter.

"Do you have names yet or are we going to keep calling them Baby Girl Nolan and Baby Boy Nolan for the time being?" Regina asks as she watches Whale do a quick assessment on the younger twin.

"I kind of like Twin A and Twin B, personally," David jokes, receiving a grunt from Mary-Margaret.

"We haven't decided anything yet," Mary-Margaret corrects.

"Alright, I'm done down here," Regina says, draping a blanket over Mary-Margaret's legs and rolling her stool back from the table before peeling off her gown and gloves. She then walks over and looks at the newborn girl still resting on the woman's chest, doing a quick assessment of her own on the infant. She smiles when the little one grabs her finger. "She's got a good grip already…you were great, Mary-Margaret. Congratulations."

"Thank you, Regina. So much," Mary-Margaret says, taking Regina's hand in hers.

"Yes, thank you, Regina," David says, his eyes not leaving his new daughter.

"Of course," she smiles. "I'm going to go let everyone know that everyone in here is okay. I'm guessing they're all out there stewing since I kicked them out," she laughs. "I'm sure they all want to come in. Are you four ready for visitors or do you want me to hold them off a little longer?"

David looks over at his wife, letting her make the call.

"They can come in. And can you call Zelena so she can bring Neal over? I know it's getting late, but I'd like him to at least meet his new baby sister and brother tonight."

"Of course," Regina says. "I'll be right back."

 ***.*.***

"Should it be taking this long?" Leopold asks as his leg bounces up and down in the chair.

"I have no idea. You're the only doctor out here, Dad, you should know," Emma says as she paces back and forth in the waiting area.

"We've only been out here twenty minutes, dear," Cora points out.

"Really? It feels like it's been hours," Leopold says.

"Are the babies here yet?" Zelena asks as she comes through the entrance with Neal.

"No, not yet," Emma answers, stopping her pacing long enough to answer before resuming her path around the chairs in the waiting room.

"Where's Regina?" Zelena asks when she notices her sister is missing. "She didn't use this as an excuse to run away again, did she? I know she hates our family, but that would be a new low, even for her."

Emma looks up, surprised by Zelena's candor. "No, she's back there with them. She's delivering the babies."

"Really? Why?" Zelena asks, puzzled.

"It's a long story," Emma replies.

Just then the double doors to the back area opens, and Regina walks through. The family all rise to their feet and rush over toward her. They all speak at once and she can't make out their individual questions, so she throws both her hands up in the air, signaling them to stop talking. "Everyone is doing well," she says. "A healthy baby boy followed by a stubborn, but healthy, baby girl," Regina says with a smile. "Baby Girl Nolan was breech, but I was able to get her out without any complications."

"Oh, thank God," Leopold says as he hugs Cora.

"Can we see them?" Emma asks.

"Of course. Mary-Margaret is understandably exhausted, but you can visit for a little bit. Go ahead," she says, pulling back the door to let the masses through. As Zelena walks past her, Regina grabs her wrist. "How are you here already? I was just about to call you to tell you to bring Neal over."

"Mother called me when she said Mary-Margaret was ready to deliver. Did you really deliver the twins?"

"Yeah, I did."

"Wow," Zelena says, the surprise evident on her face.

"It's kind of my job, Zee. Did you really think I was lying about being a doctor?"

"I don't know, Regina. You haven't spoken to me in over ten years," the redhead said, brushing past her sister to join the rest of her family.

Regina sighs and shakes her head as she slowly reenters the room, seeing everyone surrounding the newborns and the parents. She notices that Emma is the first to hold her new nephew, as she gently picks him up from the bassinet, while Cora dotes over the baby girl. Regina forces a smile as she takes the medical chart off the end of the bed and sneaks out of the room. She quickly stops by the supply closet to change back into her normal clothes and deposit the dirty scrubs into a hamper, and she then heads to the front desk to write her documentation of the procedure. Whale had done some scribing during the delivery, but she likes to double check the notes to make sure everything is accurate, especially in this case when she doesn't actually work here. She wants to make sure her notes are pristine.

"How did it go?" Ashley asks from her spot at the reception desk, nervous in the presence of the intimidating physician, but genuinely curious after all the chaos earlier.

"As well as I could have hoped, considering. Mom and both babies are doing fine," Regina says. "Sorry I snapped at you earlier."

"It's okay. I understand," Ashley reassures. "Where do you practice?"

"Washington, D.C.," Regina says, drumming her pen on the chart as she verifies Whale's SOAP note.

"No wonder our little hospital seems so small to you, then."

Regina nods. "Yeah. It's much different than city life. That's for sure." She continues to make notes as Dr. Whale approaches her after getting a coffee from the break room.

"That was impressive," he says as he takes a sip of his coffee.

"It was nothing," she shrugs. "Just another day at the office."

"Still. I've never seen anything like that."

"Yes, I imagine you haven't, given that you were about five seconds away from fainting," Regina smirks. "Tell me, Whale, how the hell did you get through med school?"

"Very funny," he laughs before leaning over to rest his elbows on the counter next to her. "So, how long are you in town?"

"I'm going to stop you right there, Whale. I am not interested."

"You barely know me. How can you say that you're not interested? You should at least get to know me first."

"Well, considering I exclusively date women, I can say with 100 percent confidence that you're not my type," she says, closing Mary-Margaret's chart.

"Your loss," the disappointed doctor says as he shrugs and walks away.

"Hey," Emma says as she approaches the desk, brushing past Dr. Whale as he heads back to his office. "I was wondering where you snuck off to."

"Emma," Regina says, not expecting to see the woman. She had thought she would still be obsessing over her new niece and nephew. "What are you doing out here?"

"I wanted to talk to you."

"Look, Emma, I am in no mood…Can we please not do this now?"

"I understand. But, we do need to talk. Soon. I owe you an explanation. And you need to tell me what the hell that kiss was about this morning."

"That was nothing more than a lapse in judgment. And you don't owe me anything, Emma. You were clearly not on the same page as I was, and it's my fault for not realizing that back then. It's fine…water under the bridge," she says, handing Mary-Margaret's chart to Ashley to be filed. "Ashley, can you please call me a cab or an Uber or something?"

"Of course, Dr. Mills. There's a cab company just up the road, so it shouldn't take long."

"Thank you."

"You're leaving? Now?" Emma asks.

"Yes. Mary-Margaret is not the only one who is exhausted, and I am in dire need of a shower. Dr. Whale plans to stay and keep an eye on her overnight. She's in good hands with him now that her delivery is done. He's perfectly capable of doing her follow-up checks."

"That's not what I meant, Regina," Emma says.

"It's been a stressful day, Emma…I'm just going back to the house to get some rest. It's not like I'm not going back to D.C. tonight."

"Are you sure you don't want to stay here with us for a bit? Not as my sister's doctor, but just as Regina…"

Regina shakes her head. "I appreciate the gesture, Emma, but I don't think that's a good idea. Despite the fact that I came here for the engagement party, my mother has made it perfectly clear that I'm not really part of this family. This should be a joyful night for you guys, and if I stay any longer, I might actually stab my mother with a spare scalpel, and I'd really rather not spend Christmas in a jail cell. It will be less awkward for everyone if I'm not here."

"Okay," Emma says, dejected. "Can we please talk tomorrow, at least?"

"Fine. Goodnight," she says, walking toward the main entrance.

"Regina?" Emma calls after her, and the brunette hesitantly stops and turns around. "Thank you, for everything you did tonight —for being there for them…for saving them. I doubt my father or your mother thought to thank you, but I want you to know that I appreciate everything you did for them."

Regina nods in acknowledgement before she turns around and exits the ER, getting into the waiting taxi and heading back to the house.

* * *

 **A/N:** I know that was super clinical and light on SQ, but I wanted to include it all for the purposes of moving the story along and letting Regina prove herself to her horrible mother and the douchey Dr. Whale. Plus, who doesn't love adorable Christmas Eve babies?

Also this should go without saying, but I'm not a doctor and I haven't had a ton of coursework in this area so this may not be entirely accurate. But, I work with a lot of doctors and med students in my job, and I geeked out reading way too many pubmed articles on breech birth, ECV, and indications for IPV while researching this (and I even watched a few instructional videos of the procedure Regina had to do through our med school's library...it's not pretty. There's a reason I'm not a doctor), so I think it's relatively accurate. There are some actual birthing clips of it on youtube too, which are fascinating (and graphic), if you're interested in medicine.

The next chapter is almost entirely Emma/Regina interaction to make up for the lack of it in this one. In that one, you'll finally find out what made Emma bail on Regina in her hotel room, among other revelations and overdue conversations. It'll be up tomorrow afternoon :)


	5. Chapter 5

Regina wakes up early to the sound of Zelena banging around in the guest house kitchen. She groans as she pulls herself out of bed, pulling on her flannel pajamas that she had been too tired to deal with the night before. "Jesus, Zee," she whines as she stumbles into the kitchen. "It's too early to be making this much noise."

"We're all going to the hospital in a few minutes to visit the babies. Are you going to come?"

Regina yawns. "Not yet. I'll stop by later since I'd like to do a quick exam on Mary-Margaret to make sure everything looks good. I didn't mind leaving her in Whale's hands overnight, but I'd like to see her before she's discharged. But, I need some coffee and breakfast first, and it'll give you all some time to spend together as a family."

"You know, you could be part of this family if you wanted to," Zelena offers. "I don't know why you're making it so difficult on yourself, and on all of us while you're at it."

Regina lets out a dry chuckle. "I have nothing against you, Zelena. I know you stuck by our mother because you needed the money for law school, and I don't fault you for that. But she and I are done. She wrote me out of the family a long time ago. I've made my peace with it, so I suggest you do the same."

"She's not as horrible as you make her out to be," Zelena says. "Whatever you think she did, or she thinks you did, you both need to grow up and get over it."

Regina scoffs. "It's not that simple, Zee. If it were, don't you think we would have reconciled by now? As stubborn and manipulative as she is, she's still my mother. I wouldn't just walk away for ten years over nothing."

"Then tell me…tell me what she did that is so reprehensible that it's worth pretending that we don't exist," Zelena challenges. "Is this all because she wouldn't pay for your schooling?"

"It's not about the money, Zelena," Regina says, taking a breath. "Did you ever stop to consider why she cut me off? Why she disowned me? Why I broke off the engagement with Daniel? I know you never asked me, but did you ever ask her?"

"Of course I did. She just said you had made an immoral life choice — one that would tarnish the family name, and that you chose immorality over the family."

Regina rolls her eyes. "Of course she did. That's how she sees it."

"What did you do?"

"I told Mother that I'm a lesbian."

"Wait, what?!" Zelena nearly drops her travel mug of coffee. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm gay, Zelena. Like, super gay," Regina clarifies. "I came out to our parents when I graduated high school, and they didn't take it well. Or, at least Mother didn't. Dad didn't really say anything, but he eventually accepted it after their divorce. He even asked to meet my now ex-girlfriend when I was in a serious relationship a few years before he died. But the day after I told them I'm gay, Mother told me I was to marry Daniel. She said it would 'fix' me and help her campaign for mayor. Two birds, one stone."

"Oh my God," Zelena says, letting it sink it. "I always assumed that you cheated on Daniel, got pregnant and had an abortion or something."

Regina laughs sardonically. "No, definitely not. I never even slept with Daniel, let alone any other guys. Strictly a gold star lesbian."

"Wow," Zelena says, still digesting the news. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

Regina shrugs. "I don't know. You had already moved out by the time I realized it, and you weren't exactly supportive of what I was going through in terms of Dad and Mother fighting all the time. You had checked out yourself, it seemed. We weren't really that close, and then Mother pretty much forced me into the engagement and told me stop with the 'nonsense' of being attracted to women. She more or less threatened that if I ever told anyone, I would regret it. And I believed her."

"Oh, Regina, I'm so sorry," Zelena replies, and Regina thinks she looks sincere. "Did Daniel know?"

Regina nods. "I told him about two years into our engagement. It's not like denying him sex early in our relationship was a problem. We were 18 and barely knew each other, not to mention we went to different colleges and barely saw each other. When we did see each other over breaks, he was actually a really nice guy and didn't want to pressure me. I thought that maybe Mother was right and I would eventually learn not to be this way. I thought that maybe it was just a phase and I would learn to love him and learn to be attracted to him. But, it never happened because it's not a choice, and it's not something that needs to be fixed. It's just who I am, and I learned to embrace that instead of hide it. I told him at the beginning of the summer between sophomore and junior year, my last summer in Storybrooke."

"But you didn't break up with him until Christmas…"

"Right. Well, he was understanding and willing to play along over the summer when I told him how Mother had reacted when I came out a few years earlier. He suggested we wait until Christmas to announce it, because it would buy me more time to figure out my next steps. I was trying to work out something with Dad, knowing that I would lose my tuition money as soon as I officially ended things with Daniel. I didn't want to take out student loans if I could help it, not to mention that I wouldn't qualify for anything. The government would say that Mother could pay, so I wouldn't be eligible even if she refused. Dad tried to find the money to do it, but Mother was the one with all the cash, and her lawyer screwed him in the divorce. He could barely pay for his own rent."

"What made you decide to end it, then?"

"I couldn't go on pretending. It wasn't fair to Daniel or to me. He was 21 and in college…he didn't need to have a fake fiancée when he could be out meeting a woman who would be willing to sleep with him. And I couldn't take the lies anymore. As much as I needed Mother's money, I couldn't look at myself in the mirror and lie to myself and everyone else anymore."

"Wow, Regina, I had no idea."

"Yeah, well, you had your own life to worry about. Like I said, I'm not mad at you for it."

"Well, I wasn't exactly supportive when you said you were going to stay with Dad for all the future holidays after they got divorced. I should've been there for you. And just so we're clear, it doesn't matter to me who you're attracted to. You're my sister. Being a lesbian doesn't change that."

"Thanks," Regina says, not realizing how much she needed to hear those words.

"Oh, God," Zelena says as an idea pops into her mind. "Mother must have flipped shit when she found out you're a gynecologist."

"Oh, she made a comment," Regina confirms. "Which just goes to show you how fucking homophobic and sick she is. It's disgusting. And that's why I don't want anything to do with her after this weekend. I leave town tomorrow, and as far as I'm concerned, I'm never coming back."

"So I take it Mother still hasn't accepted it?"

"God, no. She tried to get me to break up Daniel's pending engagement the other night. That's why she invited him to the party. And you weren't there during Mary-Margaret's labor last night, but she kept trying to set me up with Dr. Whale," Regina explains before chuckling to herself. "If only she really knew," she mumbles under her breath.

"Knew what?"

"Nothing," Regina shakes her head.

"C'mon, sis, tell me."

Regina looks up hesitantly, debating whether to tell her sister. She finally relents. "I slept with Emma."

"What?! When? Last night? Oh my God, was it like _Grey's Anatomy_ and you hooked up in an on-call room after the birth? Is that where you two disappeared to?"

Regina laughs. "God, no. It happened last year…and a few years before that, and then once in college."

"Holy shit…You had sex with Emma!? Wait, she's gay too?" Zelena shouts as her finally processes everything she just learned.

"Morning…" they hear a voice behind them and turn around to see the blonde emerging from her bedroom, standing awkwardly in the doorway.

"Fuck," Regina says, running a hand through her hair before slamming her head down on the kitchen island.

"Good morning, future step-sister," Zelena smiles, looking between the pair. "Oh, this will be fun."

"Shut up," Regina mumbles.

Emma says nothing as she walks into the kitchen, her overwhelming need for caffeine winning out over her desire to go back to bed and hide under the covers to get away from whatever is happening in the kitchen.

"So, Emma, Regina was just telling me more about your past."

"Please, Zelena, stop," Regina says, finally lifting her head off the counter to glare at the redhead.

Sensing her sister's serious tone and discomfort, Zelena lets it go. "Fine. I should get to the hospital, anyway. But, don't think I'll forget about this. I do want the whole story," she says, looking between the pair before her eyes settle on the blonde. "Emma, do you want a ride over there?"

The blonde shakes her head. "No, I need to eat first."

"I bet you do," Zelena winks.

Emma rolls her eyes. "I'll drive over in a bit."

"Suit yourself." And with that, the redhead walks out the door.

 ***.*.***

"So…" Emma says as she pours a bowl of cereal and sits down next to Regina at the counter. The brunette is staring straight ahead and hasn't said anything since Zelena left them alone five minutes ago; her thumb just idly fidgets with the handle of her coffee mug. When she doesn't get a response, the blonde continues: "So, Zelena knows."

Regina sighs in confirmation before finally speaking. "She does."

The awkward silence returns, and after a few minutes Regina gets up to microwave her now-cold cup of coffee. "I'm sorry if that makes things awkward for you moving forward. I shouldn't have told her," Regina finally says as she waits for her coffee to reheat.

Emma shakes her head. "She's your sister. It's totally up to you what you tell her. It doesn't bother me…but just so I know, how much of the story did you tell her?"

"Barely anything. Just that we've slept together a few times. I didn't get into the details of it…or how it ended," Regina answers, her voice dropping to a barely audible volume.

Emma sighs. "Can I please tell you my side of the story about that, now? It was all a misunderstanding."

Regina rolls her eyes and finally looks over at the other woman. "You crawled out of my hotel bed sometime in the wee hours of the morning and left without even leaving a note, Emma. What is there to misunderstand? I know I scared you off with all the talk about trying to actually have some sort of relationship and getting to know each other. You got what you wanted and ran. You made that abundantly clear."

"That's not what happened, Regina. I can understand why you think that, but it's not what happened," Emma says. "You didn't scare me off. I was just as interested in seeing where things might go as you were. It wasn't just about the sex for me, at least not that time."

"Okay, so enlighten me," Regina says, sarcasm dripping off her voice as she takes her coffee back to the counter and sits back down on the bar stool.

Emma takes a deep breath as she finally gets to tell her side of the story, something she has wanted to do since she first saw Regina at the party. "When we got back to your hotel room that night, you were extremely drunk. Against my better judgment, I agreed when you wanted to open a bottle of champagne from the minibar to continue the celebration of our reunion."

"Yeah, I remember," Regina nods, still waiting for new information. "I also remember that we drank most of it in the bathtub and then took it with us into the shower."

Emma smiles at the memory. "As do I." It had been a little unconventional, but it made for a very memorable night. "Anyway, after we finished the champagne and made our way to the bed, you eventually passed out…like, you were completely unconscious. I'm guessing it was a combination of all the liquor and the rapid succession of mindblowing orgasms," she smirks.

Regina tries to hide her blush. "Go on."

"I fell asleep shortly thereafter, but sometime around 4 a.m. my phone started ringing. You slept right through it. One of my friends at the birthday party was eight weeks pregnant and an EMT was calling me from the ambulance that was taking her to the hospital. Aurora was by herself because all of our other friends were drunk off their asses and passed out in their own rooms. I didn't want her to be alone, so I had to go be with her. I tried to wake you, but you were dead to the world. I made sure you were still breathing, which you were, and then I left. I figured I would be able to be back in the morning before you woke up."

"Oh my God, Emma," Regina says, placing her hand on top of Emma's on the counter. "Was your friend okay?"

She nods. "It turns out she had an ectopic pregnancy and it was rupturing. She had to have surgery, which is why it took me longer than I expected to get back to the hotel. By the time I did, the front desk said you had already checked out. I didn't have any contact information for you, and the front desk wouldn't give me your phone number."

Regina looks at Emma and tries to decide if she believes her. "And you're telling me the truth? This isn't just some story you made up to cover your ass because you saw me again?"

"Of course it's the truth, Regina. I have never once lied to you. And if I was going to make up a medical emergency, do you really think that would I pick something from your field of medicine? You would call me on my bullshit if I did. I wouldn't even know what an ectopic pregnancy is if it weren't for that night."

"Okay, fair point. Sorry."

Emma then continues, looking over at their still-connected hands, grateful that Regina hasn't pulled hers back yet. "I even tried to find you on Facebook after that, but there are only a handful of women named 'Regina Mills' on there, and none of them are you."

"Yeah, no one can find me on there. I locked that down after my patients kept finding me."

"Smart," Emma nods in understanding. "You never told me which city you lived in, so I didn't even have that information to go on. I googled you, but do you know how many doctors are named Regina Mills? More than you would expect. If I had known you were in D.C., I would have tried like hell to track you down. I've spent the last year and a half kicking myself for not thinking to leave a note before I left, but I panicked when I got that phone call, so I wasn't thinking clearly. I just wanted to get to Aurora as quickly as I could. When you weren't there when I got back, I just figured that it meant we weren't supposed to be anything more to each other than a random periodic hookup. And now you're here, and your mother is about to marry my father."

"Fate's a bitch," Regina chuckles as she plays with Emma's fingers. "Thank you for telling me."

"I just wish I could have told you sooner. When I went up to your room that night, I really had every intention of seeing where it may lead. But I left and when you were gone when I came back, I knew that you probably thought I was just fucking with you that night. I knew you would probably hate me after that."

"I did," Regina admits. "Mostly because for that one night I thought that maybe the universe was telling me to go for it. I was finally starting to open myself up to the possibility of starting a relationship again, but it ended as quickly as it began…it's stupid, really. I became so frustrated for letting myself get that excited about the possibility of an 'us' after running into you in the bathroom of that club. I think I hated myself more for that than I hated you, if I'm being honest."

"I am sorry, Regina. If I could go back and do it all over again, I would do things differently. I've thought about it a lot since that night…about all the things I could have done instead. I would have left a note. I would have made sure I had your phone number before we went to sleep, I would have called the hotel from the hospital to have them get a message to you…anything other than the way I actually handled it."

"Your head was a mess, and understandably given what your friend was going through. It's not your fault, Emma."

"Thank you, Regina."

"For what?"

"For letting me explain my side of the story. I know you didn't want to talk about it, but I needed to tell you."

Regina shrugs. "I just wasn't ready to hear it. I've spent the last year and a half hating you, and then seeing you again brought it all back. With everything going on this weekend and being back here, I wasn't ready to let go of my anger."

"And now?"

"I don't hate you, Emma. It'll take me awhile to let all this sink in, but I'll get over it. It wasn't your fault that your friend had an emergency. Given what I do for a living, it would be hypocritical for me not to understand that."

"Thank you."

"And I suppose I owe you an apology as well," Regina admits.

Emma looks genuinely confused. "What for?"

"For being a bitch to you the last few days, and mainly for yesterday at brunch. That kiss. I wanted to hurt you, to make you feel at least a little of what I felt waking up alone in that hotel room. I wanted to make you feel like I was just using you."

"Oh. Well, it's not like I wasn't a willing participant yesterday. I wasn't hurt by it…mainly just confused, more than anything. But for what it's worth, you're forgiven," Emma shrugs.

"Can I ask you something?" Regina asks, finally pulling her hand back from Emma's. She's overwhelmed by the mix of emotions and needs to create some physical distance between them.

"Anything."

"Does my mother know about you?"

"Does she know what about me?" Emma asks, uncertain.

"That you sleep with women."

"Oh," Emma replies. "I don't know, actually. This is only the third time I've met her, and I've never been like 'Oh hi Cora, by the way I'm a lesbian.' And it's not like I'm bringing anyone with me to these family events, because I've never been in a serious enough relationship at the time to warrant bringing a guest, so she might not know. My father does know, though, as do Mary-Margaret and David, but maybe my dad hasn't mentioned it to her."

"I see," Regina nods.

"I'm guessing she still isn't okay with your sexuality?" Emma asks.

"It appears she's still as unaccepting as ever. You heard her bitching at me about Daniel, her comments about my 'morality', and her trying to set me up with Whale. She seems to like you, though, so I just figured that if she knew about you, then maybe she might eventually stop being such a bitch to me."

"I'm sorry, Regina. I have no idea if she knows, but I'm guessing that she might not, from the sounds of it. If you want, I can make it very clear to her…I can bring up my ex-girlfriend over dinner tonight or something. Then we'll know."

Regina shakes her head. "No, I'm not going to ask you to do that. Like I told Zelena, it's very clear that as far as Mother is concerned, I am no longer in this family. You still are, or are about to be, so I don't want to create any problems between you. It took you 11 years to find your family. I don't want you to lose that."

"I appreciate that, Regina, but if Cora won't accept me because of my sexuality, then I won't want anything to do with her anyway. I'm 30 years old, so I'm not going to hide who I am just to get my future step-mother to like me. I know that my dad loves me, and nothing will change that — not even Cora."

"I'm glad you have that," Regina says, pain evident in her voice.

"I just wish you did," Emma says sincerely.

"I did once…my father loved me more than anything. He was my biggest supporter," she says, a tear escaping from the corner of her eye and cascading down her face.

Emma doesn't even think and reflexively reaches out to wipe it away, her thumb lingering on Regina's cheek as she softly strokes her skin. "I'm sorry you lost him," she says before she pulls herself back.

Regina straightens in her chair and looks back to her coffee. "Thank you."

"So…are we okay?" Emma tentatively asks.

Regina smiles at the blonde sincerely for the first time all weekend and takes the blonde's hand in hers, squeezing it gently. "We will be."

* * *

 **A/N:** Just one more to go! Thanks so much for all the follows/favorites/reviews! This is my first holiday-themed fic and I've loved sharing it with you :)


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Well, here it is. The conclusion to this holiday tale. (Sidenote: I'm super sleepy right now, but I wanted to stick to my posting schedule and get it up tonight as promised, so I didn't proofread it as many times as I would have liked/I'm too tired to catch everything. So, please excuse any typos. I'll do another read through in the morning and fix anything glaring). Merry Christmas Eve to all those who celebrate.

 ** _NEW A/N 1/30/18_ : **I updated this fic last night (Jan. 29 - chapter 7/part one of the epilogue) and for some reason the chapter posts and then vanishes on and off. It's been doing that for the past 18 hours and I don't know why. It's showing up that I've published it on my end, but even when I try to view it I get an error message. I've contacted FFnet support hoping that they can fix it, and I'm hoping it'll be fixed before I post the second part of the epilogue later this week.

* * *

"It looks like we're going to get that white Christmas after all," Emma comments as she carefully navigates her yellow Volkswagen beetle down the road. Despite living well over 500 miles away from Storybrooke in Baltimore, Maryland, Emma had opted to drive the eight hour trip for the holiday visit rather than fly. She has always been a fan of roadtrips, finding the long drive to be a great opportunity for self-reflection and deep thoughts. She bites back a chuckle as she realizes everything she will have to think about on her drive back home after Christmas. Eight hours may not be enough to work through it all.

"It does," Regina comments, pulling the blonde out of her reverie. "I'm glad it wasn't like this last night, or your sister may have had to give birth in the backseat of my mother's car."

"I'm sure Cora would have loved that," Emma laughs as she finds a parking space near the hospital entrance. "Ready?" she asks, looking over at the brunette, whose anxiety about seeing her mother again had grown exponentially during the drive over.

"Yeah. Let's go."

They walk into the hospital and Regina sends a shy smile to Ashley, who is still stationed behind the desk. She still feels guilty for being so rude to her the previous night. It's hardly Ashley's fault that the hospital is barely functional, and Regina knows that she should not have taken out her frustration on the petite blonde receptionist.

Emma goes into the room first, immediately approaching the bassinette to pick up her newborn niece. She ignores the knowing look Zelena sends her, as she can only imagine what the redhead must think is the reason behind their delayed arrival at the hospital. "There's my little girl!" she coos. "Does she have a name yet?" she asks, turning to her brother-in-law and sister.

Mary-Margaret smiles as she watches her sister fawn over the infant. "Not yet. We're getting closer to making our final decision, though."

"Well, I think Emma is a lovely name…just saying," the blonde suggests as she rocks the little girl in her arms.

"I can promise you that will not be it," David replies before turning to Regina, whose entrance into the room had gone unnoticed by most of the others. "Oh, Regina! I'd like you to meet my parents. They just arrived this morning. Regina, this is my mother Ruth, and this is my father, Robert," he says. "Mom, Dad, this is Cora's other daughter Regina, and our personal hero for her work last night."

"It's nice to meet you both," Regina says, extending her hand to the older couple.

"You as well. David told us how wonderful you were last night. Thank you for ensuring the safe arrival of my two new grandchildren, and for making sure my precious daughter-in-law was okay," Robert says.

Regina smiles at the couple as they continue to engage in small talk. They are so much different from how her mother and her father were, and even how her mother and Leopold act now. She finds it refreshing. While Cora has always been standoffish with others, even her own loved ones, Ruth is the polar opposite. She has her arm wrapped around her husband's waist, leaning gently into his side as she speaks, an act which Robert happily reciprocates. There's no forced gestures for the sake of keeping up appearances — just two people in love, who have been that way for many, many years and take comfort in one another's presence. And while Cora is dressed as though she is scheduled to attend a business luncheon, Ruth is looking cozy and festive in a bright cherry red knit sweater, accented by an emerald and ruby holly-shaped pendant hanging from her neck.

"When can I open presents?" Neal's voice asks, cutting through the other conversations occurring around him.

Cora scowls at the young child and is about to speak, likely planning to comment on his rudeness. Zelena senses her mother's reaction and reaches out to touch her arm, effectively stopping her. The older woman quickly slips a smile back onto her face and bites her tongue.

Neal can't help but be antsy to see what Santa brought him — he's been cooped up in the sterile hospital room since last night. David had realized that because he and Mary-Margaret were staying in the hospital overnight, it would have been hard to get the Santa gifts placed under the tree. He didn't want to put that burden on the rest of the family, as they were all just as exhausted. So, he had gotten permission from Dr. Whale to set up an extra cot in Mary-Margaret's room, where the boy could have a sleepover with the rest of his family. "Soon, buddy," David answers as he tries to work out how he can get home before his kid so he can lay out the gifts. Perhaps he can ask Emma to take Neal to pick up donuts on the way home to buy him some extra time.

Emma smiles as if reading her brother-in-law's mind. "Don't worry about it," she whispers. "We've got you covered."

He raises a brow in question but doesn't have time to ask for clarification, as his wife quickly asks one of her own, staring down Regina as she does so. "Yes, how much longer until I can go home?".

"Oh, has Dr. Whale been by?" Regina asks as she grabs the chart from the end of her bed, where she sees the answer to her question: he hasn't been by since midnight. But, everything looked good then, and the nurse has been checking the babies regularly, who are as healthy as can be.

"He said he'd be by to give me an exam before he discharges me, but he didn't say when that would be," Mary-Margaret says. "I want to go home."

"Well, if you'd like I can do that now. I can't officially discharge you since I don't work here, but I can at least make sure everything looks good. If it does, I can track down Dr. Whale and get him to write it up."

"Yes, please!" the petite brunette says, scooting up toward the head of the bed with excitement. "I just want to spend Christmas with my family and two new babies at home…not in a hospital bed."

"Alrighty then," Regina says, picking up a pair of gloves from the box on a shelf nearby and turning to the extended family. "Would the rest of you mind stepping out into the hall for a few minutes to give us some privacy? This won't take long, but she doesn't need an audience."

A few minutes later, the examination is done, and David tells the rest of the family they can come back into the room.

"How's the patient?" Robert asks as they walk back in.

"I was just telling Mary-Margaret that everything looks as good as can be expected," Regina starts. She then turns back to the new mother: "Now, ordinarily I would say that you should stay another day, just to give yourself more time to recover. But, if you promise to take it easy, and since I'll be there anyway and since David is more than qualified to keep an eye on healthy newborns, I see no reason why you can't go back to the house today. But if you're feeling anything out of the ordinary — any pain, any discomfort, headaches, fever, nausea —I want you to tell me, just so we can make sure it isn't a complication," Regina says.

"It's a deal, Dr. Mills," Mary-Margaret says with a smile as she swings her legs around to the side of the bed. "David, honey, get my shoes."

"I just told you to take it easy, Mary-Margaret," Regina laughs at the woman's eagerness. "But, let's get you and those beautiful babies discharged. I'll go find Whale so he can get started on the paperwork."

 ***.*.***

"Santa came!" Neal shouts as he runs through the house. Behind him, Emma and Regina are chuckling as they divest themselves of their coats and boots in the grand foyer. As soon as the young boy had entered the house, he made a beeline for the Christmas tree. Upon seeing the stack of presents, he had felt the need to announce it to everyone else in the home.

"We know, buddy!" David says as he walks in from the kitchen, picking up his running son. "But you need to keep your voice down. Your new baby brother and sister are sleeping."

"Can I open presents now?" Neal asks, struggling to get out of his father's grasp as they walk back toward the kitchen.

"In a few minutes, honey," Mary-Margaret says as she yawns. "Let's make sure everyone has breakfast first, shall we?"

As if on cue, Emma carries in the dozen donuts they had picked up from the bakery on their way home. "Breakfast has arrived! Not the most nutritious, but it's certainly tasty."

"Who would like some hot cocoa?" Ruth asks. She's standing over the stove with a wooden spoon in hand, stirring a large pot of the chocolatey beverage.

"I do!" Neal smiles as he picks out the chocolate donut he has had his eye on since they stopped at the bakery.

"Why don't you take your plate into the living room and I'll be in with your hot chocolate in a few minutes?" Leopold suggests.

"Then can we open presents?" Neal whines.

"Yes," David confirms.

"Yay!" The boy grabs his plate securely in his two hands and then takes off for the living room.

"Someone's excited," Zelena comments.

"He's always loved Christmas. It's his favorite holiday," Mary-Margaret says.

"Of course it is. All kids love Christmas," Cora states.

"Speaking of," David says, lowering his voice so his child in the other room doesn't overhear him. "Who put out all the presents? I was expecting to have to rush to get everything under the tree before Neal got home, but when I came in it was already done."

"Oh, Emma and I did that before we left this morning. We came over here when Emma realized she left her car keys here last night. We noticed that they weren't out yet, so we figured we'd make sure they were ready," Regina explains.

"Oh, how sweet of you, Emma," Cora croons.

"Actually, Regina is the one who suggested it," Emma clarifies, causing the brunette to send her a grateful smile.

"Well, thank you Regina, and Emma," Mary-Margaret says. "That was really thoughtful of you, and it saved us a lot of work."

"You're welcome," Regina nods.

"Are you guys coming?" Neal calls from the other room. "I can't wait much longer."

The adults all chuckle as they gather their donuts and mugs and head to the front room. The tall fir tree stands in the corner, still emitting a scent of fresh pine. The white lights have been turned on, and the glass ball ornaments send the light reflection around the room. Emma and Regina join Zelena on one of the couches, and the brunette no longer feels anxious sitting next to the blonde. It's still a little awkward, mainly because she still remembers their kiss in the back hallway from the day before quite vividly, but at least her anger has subsided after their conversation earlier that morning.

"Now?" Neal asks. He's sitting on the hearth of the fireplace next to the tree, his leg bouncing up and down in excitement.

"Now," David nods. He barely gets out the word before the boy is ripping into the paper of the first gift.

 ***.*.***

"Before we leave the table, Mary-Margaret and I would like to make an announcement," David says, pushing his chair back as he rises to his feet.

"Oh, God, you're not pregnant again, are you?" Emma jokes.

"Funny," Mary-Margaret says, glaring at her sister who is seated next to her.

David clears his throat as he goes to pull the pram closer to the table. Leopold and Cora had given the couple the pram as a Christmas gift earlier in the day, which had been quite fortunate. They are currently using it as a makeshift bassinette, since the house is not yet prepared for the twins' unanticipated early arrival. "As I was saying…we have decided on our babies' names, so we would like to officially introduce you to Evelyn Regina Nolan," he says, picking up his daughter and handing her to Mary-Margaret as he continues, "named in honor of being born on Christmas Eve and after our fabulous miracle worker OBGYN."

Regina's mouth drops as she hears the unexpected announcement. She wipes away a tear that forms in her eye, genuinely touched by the gesture. "I'm honored," she says, looking at a smiling Mary-Margaret and the beautiful baby in her arms.

"We can't thank you enough," Mary-Margaret says, looking Regina in the eyes. "Truly."

"And this little guy," David says, picking up his new son. "Is Robert Reginald Nolan…after Dad and again Regina," he explained, even though it was quite obvious. "We'll be calling him Robbie for the time being, just to eliminate any confusion."

Cora rolls her eyes as she stands up from the table to get more wine, which is not lost on Zelena. "Well, I think those are wonderful names. It's nice to meet you, Robbie," Zelena says as she walks up to the baby boy, giving him her index finger since he's too little to shake hands. He takes it with his tiny fingers, and she can't help but melt. David's parents quickly gather around them as well, while Neal has grown bored and runs off to go play with one of his new toys.

Mary-Margaret looks back up at Regina, who is still beaming at the little girl from across the table. "Would you like to hold her, Regina? She's a lot less slimy than she was the last time you did," she winks.

"I would love to," she laughs as she realizes that it's true — she hasn't held the babies since she delivered them the night before.

"There you go, Evie, go to your Auntie Regina," Mary-Margaret coos as she hands her daughter to her future step-sister.

"Hello there, Evie," she says, her voice catching in her throat as she absorbs Mary-Margaret's words — she is an aunt now, or at least she could be if she decides to be part of this family. She takes a chance to sneak a look over to her mother, who is watching their interactions with a critical eye. She ignores it and returns her focus to the beautiful miracle in front of her. "You're a gorgeous girl," she whispers to the baby, lightly rocking her in her arms and placing a delicate kiss to her forehead.

Emma's eyes never leave the brunette holding her new niece in her arms, which does not go unnoticed by Mary-Margaret. The woman looks back and forth between her sister and the woman holding her child, and she realizes that Emma's line of sight is focused on the woman, not the infant. "Emma," she whispers.

"Hmm?" Emma asks, directing her attention toward her sister.

"Please tell me you're not falling for her," she whispers back. When she sees the expression on Emma's face, she continues. "You can't fall for her."

The blonde smiles and replies in a hushed whisper of her own. "Too late."

"Emma!" she quietly scolds, her voice slightly above a harsh whisper. "She's your future stepsister, not to mention she was engaged to a man."

Emma chuckles. "Oh, I know. She told me all about it the night after she broke up with Daniel twelve years ago, right before she fucked me into oblivion…It didn't seem to be an issue that night, or that time I came to visit you and David in Boston, or again last year during Anna's birthday party weekend."

Mary-Margaret's jaw drops, her mouth wide open in shock as she processes her sister's words. "What? Oh my God," she shouts, causing everyone to look over at the two sisters in concern. "Sorry," she smiles sheepishly. "I'm fine. Go about your business." After looking to make sure that no one is focusing on her anymore, Mary-Margaret begins her interrogation. "Regina was your random mystery hookup? That's how you know her?"

Emma winks at her sister and shrugs, her eyes going back to the beautiful brunette holding the adorable infant across the room.

Mary-Margaret sighs as she leans back in her chair, looking at her daughter and then back at her sister. "No wonder she hates you."

"She doesn't hate me…not anymore. We made up," Emma smiles before getting up, refilling her glass of chardonnay and walking away.

"Oh, no," Mary-Margaret says, standing up and wincing a bit as she does so. "You're not getting away that easily. Tell me everything."

Regina looks over to see Mary-Margaret chasing Emma out of the room. "Be careful not to tear your sutures, Mary-Margaret!" she chastises as the woman disappears from her sight. _So much for taking it easy,_ she thinks. She looks back down at the baby in her arms, who is fighting against the sleep that's threatening to overtake her. Her big hazel eyes slowly close, only to reopen a few seconds later, each time staying closed a little longer until she is finally asleep. "Your mommy is crazy," she says in a voice she reserves only for newborns. "Oh, yes she is."

 ***.*.***

The snow continues to fall outside the window, the kind of snow that would be easy to miss with just a passing glance outside. The individual flakes are tiny and fine, but they are coming down at a steady pace, accumulating rapidly and easily surpassing the forecasted total of six inches. From her place at the living room window, Regina estimates that there must be at least a foot of the white powder on the ground. A few snowplows have been by to clear the streets, but it's falling too fast for them to keep up. It's truly a winter wonderland.

She glances around the room, quietly observing the happenings around her. It's a far cry from the last few Christmases she had spent alone. Her mother and sister are fawning over little Evie while Mary-Margaret feeds Robbie, who has finally learned to latch on. In the center of the floor, David is helping Neal build a castle out of the Lego set he got from Santa, while Robert and Ruth are working on a crossword puzzle together at the dining room table in the next room. She smiles as she takes everything in. She still feels like she doesn't quite belong here, feels like an outsider at some other family's Christmas gathering, but she doesn't feel as awkward as she did yesterday and the day before. So, that's something.

There is one person notably absent from the room, one who she has not seen in the past ten minutes or so. Regina walks into the sitting room and finds Emma sitting at the piano, softly playing through some Christmas songs by herself. After spending the majority of her time in Storybrooke avoiding the blonde, this time, Regina is the one to approach her. "Mind if I join you?"

Emma jumps slightly, startled by the brunette's appearance behind her. But, she sends a small smile her way as she looks up at the woman briefly before returning to her task. "Sure."

"I didn't know you played," Regina says as she takes the seat next to Emma on the piano bench.

Emma shrugs as she continues to plunk out the notes to "Joy to the World" from memory. "I took lessons for a few years after Leopold and Eva adopted me. I never excelled at it by any means, but I learned enough to be able to play a few songs now and then."

Regina smiles as she digs around the top of the piano for a songbook, opening it to a random page. "You take top, I'll take bottom."

"I would think that you would prefer to be on top," Emma winks.

Regina laughs. "Just shut up and play."

They fumble through the notes as best they can, but it's awkward only playing one-handed. They get tangled up a few times, occasionally having to cross over one another to hit the right note. But eventually, they find their rhythm, with Regina playing the bass line and Emma playing the melody with relative accuracy. Working up her courage, Regina moves her right hand to rest on Emma's thigh as she continues to play the keys with her left, squeezing the denim-clad leg gently. Emma bites back a smile as she moves her free hand over Regina's, threading their fingers together under the piano where no one can see them. There is no one else in the room, as the rest of the family is still scattered around the main floor of the mayoral mansion, but she keeps their hands hidden, just in case.

They hear applause to their right as they finish playing "O Come, All Ye Faithful," and they both turn to look at Leopold, who is standing in the doorway with a smile on his face. "Bravo! I'm glad to see you two getting along," he says before announcing that they're going to start a Monopoly tournament in the living room and inviting Emma and Regina to join.

"Thanks, Dad. We'll be in in a minute."

"Take your time, sweetie…but not too long. I can't guarantee how long I can keep the car piece protected from grabby hands," he replies, sending his daughter a wink before he disappears across the hall.

"You better make sure no one takes it!" she calls after him. "That's always my piece!"

After ensuring that they are truly alone, Emma looks down at their hands, which are still joined together under the piano keys. "What now?" she asks, looking up at Regina, the hope clearly visible in the blonde's green eyes. Regina opens her mouth to speak, but when she hesitates, Emma continues, deciding to put herself out there. "I mean, we always said we'd leave it up to fate, and fate seems to be screaming in our faces this weekend," she jokes, hoping some levity will quell the nerves raging in her stomach.

"That's true," Regina concedes, "and we only live an hour away from each other this time, rather than several time zones between us."

Emma tries, and fails, to suppress the grin forming on her face. "So, is that a 'yes'?"

"Is what a 'yes'? You didn't ask me a question, dear," Regina points out, earning her an eye roll from the blonde.

"Okay, fine. When we get back to our respective homes, can I take you on a proper date?"

"I suppose. But, I'm not having sex with you anytime soon…if we're going to do this, we should do it right."

"That's fine with me. I don't want to screw this up this time," Emma smiles. "Now, let's go join the game before Mary-Margaret says something to get us in trouble."

Regina looks over at Emma in confusion. "What would she say?"

"She may have caught me staring at you after dinner, and I may have told her about our history. She already knew about you in general, she just didn't realize the woman I had told her about was you. She's not the best secret keeper, so we should really get in there," she says, standing up from the bench.

"Wait, you told her about me back then?" Regina asks, tugging on the blonde's hand to halt her movement. She's thoroughly surprised, and not sure whether to be flattered or embarrassed that Emma had told her about their previous dalliances.

"Of course, Regina, she's my sister. And you're hot and it was all so very memorable. I couldn't keep that to myself."

Regina's face reddens in embarrassment. "Oh God."

Emma laughs as she pulls Regina up, reluctantly dropping Regina's hand once they're both on their feet. She then grows serious. "Not to mention, she helped me deal with the way things were left the last time we were together. I hated myself for it, and she talked me down a few times."

"Emma…"

The blonde shakes her head, silently telling Regina they don't need to talk about it anymore. The both said their piece that morning and have agreed to move on. There's no sense in dwelling on the past. Instead, she just smiles at Regina. "Come on, let's go." She leads the way, and together they walk toward the living room for the family board game night.

"Wait!" Mary-Margaret calls out as they walk through the doorway, causing both women to pause and look at the woman, the concern evident on their faces.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" Regina asks.

"Oh, I'm fine," Mary-Margaret grins before she silently points up to the ceiling, directing their attention to the wood beam above their heads.

"Where the hell did that come from?" Regina asks, noticing the mistletoe that was certainly not there that morning when they set out the Santa gifts.

"David's parents put it up," she replies, winking at the older couple, "with my encouragement of course."

Emma narrows her eyes at her sister. "Of course you were involved."

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Mary-Margaret asks, challenging the two women. "You know what to do."

"What's going on?" Cora asks as she walks into the room, a tray of gourmet Christmas cookies in her hands that she carefully places on the hearth.

"Oh, nothing, just waiting for Emma and Regina to uphold a time-honored tradition," Mary-Margaret replies, still beaming at her handiwork.

The matriarch looks around, genuinely perplexed at the situation. "What are you talking about, dear?"

"Just a little silly mistletoe tradition, Cora," Leopold laughs, shaking his head as he moves to sit on the floor near the game board. He flinches slightly, sighing that his old joints aren't what they used to be, as he tries to make himself comfortable. "Emma, you know she won't relent until you do it," he adds, not even looking up as he begins to count out the colorful play money. It seems he is appointing himself as the banker for the night.

It is then that Cora chances a look up, finally recognizing the green parasitic plant above her daughter's head. "Oh, this is highly inappropriate," Cora says, her ire and disgust coming to the surface as she crosses the room to sit in the chair behind Leopold.

"All the more reason to do it," Regina smirks, her words coming out a bit more loudly than she had intended. She had only meant for Emma to hear her, but it seems she is unable to hold back her own irritation when it comes to her mother.

Cora returns Regina's snide remark with a hard stare.

"Oh relax, dear," Leopold laughs, briefly looking up at his fiancée. "It's all harmless fun. It's not like they're actually related. One kiss won't kill them."

Emma bites back a chuckle as Zelena nearly chokes on her wine at his comment, coughing harshly. "Sorry," she sputters. "Wrong pipe."

"Do you really want my depraved daughter to corrupt yours?" Cora asks him, drawing everyone's attention to her.

"What are you talking about, Cora?" Leopold asks, growing serious.

Regina stiffens, knowing that whatever is about to happen will not be good for anyone. Sensing Regina's tension, Emma subtly shifts closer to the brunette, allowing one of her hands to find Regina's and interlacing them behind their backs out of view.

"I never told you, Leopold, because I had hoped she would have outgrown her immoral choices by this point in her life and I didn't want you to think lesser of me for raising a girl like that, but it seems she insists on being a lesbian. You should not be encouraging this type of behavior, lest it rubs off Emma."

 _Well, that answers the question of whether she knows that Emma's gay_ , Regina thinks.

"Mother, stop," Zelena says when she sees her sister's face fall at their mother's words. It's more than ten years overdue, but she finally stands up to the woman in defense of her little sister.

"I will do no such thing, Zelena. She's an embarrassment," Cora reiterates, not noticing the shocked look and pain on Leopold's face, or the abject horror on Mary-Margaret's. "I will not have her corrupting Emma."

Emma looks at Regina, who is visibly shaken and clearly at a loss for words. Making a bold decision that she hopes she doesn't come to regret, she finally speaks up. "Actually, Cora, if anyone 'corrupted' anyone, then technically, I'm the one who corrupted Regina."

The older woman looks over Emma, an unreadable expression on her face. "I beg your pardon?"

The blonde glances over to Regina, just to make certain that she isn't crossing a line. When she sees the perfectly sculpted eyebrow raise and a faint smirk appear on her delectable lips, she continues. "Well, you see, future stepmother, your daughter was fairly certain that she was a lesbian when she met me. But after I thoroughly fucked her the night after she announced her split with Daniel, I'm pretty sure there was no denying where her attractions lie. And then after she returned the favor — several times, might I add — well, there really was no doubt left in her mind."

Regina holds her breath as she takes in her family gathered around the coffee table, silently thanking God that David and Mary-Margaret had already put Neal to bed so he doesn't have to witness this. The faces staring back at her range from mirth, to confusion, to utter hatred (fortunately, only her mother falls into that latter category).

"Okay, let's play Monopoly," Emma says to break the tension as she starts to move into the room.

"No, wait," Regina says, finally speaking up and tugging on the blonde's hand to pull her back. She's feeling emboldened and can't pass up the opportunity that lies before her. "I believe we have a tradition to fulfill." Her eyes glance up at the mistletoe above them, and she tilts her head in question at Emma as if to say, 'your move.'

"Well, who am I to argue with tradition?" Emma asks, pulling Regina toward her until their lips meet. Despite the heated argument that just occurred and has left both women with residual adrenaline coursing through their veins, the kiss is sweet and slow — it's a stark contrast to their kiss the day before in the back hallway under the cover of darkness.

Regina sighs into the kiss, tightening her grip on the hand that still connects them and using her other hand to softly grasp the back of the blonde's neck. Her thumb is softly sweeping along the base of her hairline, urging the blonde closer. As she allows herself to relax into it, she can't help but think how nice it feels to have Emma's lips covering her own once again, this time without the burden of underlying anger and malice. As she becomes aware that there are seven pairs of eyes on her, she reluctantly steps away from Emma, breaking their embrace.

The room is eerily silent, aside from the garbled snores of the newborns asleep in the pram in the corner. Regina looks around and sees that her mother has left the room, which does not surprise her given their display. Leopold looks as though he might chase after her, but instead he sets the dice down in the middle of the board and echoes his daughter's previous words. "Okay, let's play."

Emma laughs as she takes Regina's hands in hers, directing her toward the coffee table and then frantically snatching up the little silver car before anyone else has a chance to steal it. "Want to be on my team?" she asks the brunette as she holds up her prized silver talisman, rolling it between her forefinger and thumb.

The other woman lets out a sigh of false exasperation. "If I must," she says before pursing her lips playfully. "But, you better be good."

"She's undefeated the last five times we've played," Leopold says, sending a knowing look toward his daughter. "I'm going to go grab a beer before we get started. Can I get anyone anything?" He looks around the room but everyone shakes their head. "Okay. Be right back. Don't start without me."

Emma smiles at her father before he leaves the room, undoubtedly using his beer retrieval mission as an excuse to go find his fiancée, who still has not returned after the events under the mistletoe. She's grateful that he seems to have taken the revelation about her history with Regina in stride. She can see Regina in her peripheral vision, and she knows she's lost in thought. "Hey," she says softly, nudging her gently with her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Regina smiles and mirrors the blonde's actions, nudging her back. "Yeah, I am."

"I'm sorry if I took that too far…"

She chuckles softly in response. "You may have, but I have to admit I kind of enjoyed it. After everything she put me through, seeing the look on her face was kind of cathartic. I mean, it would be great if she would be accepting, but if she's not, at least I got to issue one last blow. I know that it's really immature to think that way, but…"

"I get it," Emma laughs, putting her beloved car token on the board as they wait for the game to start. They can hear the murmur of raised voices in the distance, but cannot make out the words. Emma pauses for a moment before turning back to Regina. "But whatever happens moving forward, know that I'm here for you. I don't know what will happen when we get back to D.C., but no matter what, I want you to know that you can talk to me."

"Thank you, Emma," she smiles as she leans in to kiss her cheek, not caring that her sister, Mary-Margaret and David, and David's parents are all still in the room and pretending not to be watching them. In that moment, she's also thankful for Leopold, whose muffled voice can still be heard from another corner of the house. She knows he's mainly standing up for his own daughter, and she respects him greatly for it. But by extension, that means he's also standing up for her, and she is even more appreciative of that.

Minutes later Leopold returns, a bottle of Sam Adams in his hand, but no sign of Cora.

Emma can hear Regina sigh next to her, though the brunette does her best to hide it. "Everything okay, Dad?" she asks as he settles himself back down on the floor, the box full of play money safely to his left.

"Yes, sweetie," he confirms as picks up the dice. "Cora just has a headache, so she's resting for a bit in her study while she waits for the aspirin to kick in…Regina, would you like to start us off and roll the dice to see who goes first?"

She accepts the dice as he drops them into her open palm. She gives them a quick jostle before rolling them on the board: a five and a six.

"Not too shabby," Emma says. "I can work with that."

The other teams do not fare quite as well. David and Ruth both roll a combined eight for their respective teams, while Zelena has bad luck and gets a total of three. Leopold glares at her and teasingly asks if anyone would like to trade partners before the game begins. Emma passes the dice to Regina once again so she can roll for their opening move, which takes them to Reading Railroad, and they eagerly purchase the deed.

The game continues on, an hour passing quickly as properties are bought and sold through bartering and innovative immunity deals that stretch the rules of the game. (Zelena offers to sell Regina and Emma the fourth railroad to complete their set, but only if they promise that she and Leopold will be exempt from paying rent if they land on it for the duration of the game. The two women shrug and agree, knowing that this deal will screw over the other two teams, so it still seems worthwhile). A lucky roll from Emma results in their little car landing on Park Place, earning a high five from Regina as they pay for the coveted property to go along with their existing ownership of Boardwalk. On their next turn, they will start building up their housing empire to hopefully bankrupt David and Mary-Margaret, who are starting to approach that side of the board and have not been managing their finances well.

All the players are so engrossed in the game that they don't notice when Cora cautiously reenters the room, almost as if she is afraid she'll get burned if she isn't careful. It's Emma who notices her appearance first, seeing the older woman approach out of the corner of her eye. She makes eye contact with the woman and sends her a hard stare, one that she hopes relays the warning she intended to give. Cora flinches and turns away, but she continues walking until she arrives at the armchair in the corner of the room, just far enough away from the game board that she won't interfere, but close enough that she can observe the game's progress.

Emma's hand finds Regina's under the coffee table, gently squeezing it to get her attention. The brunette smirks as she places another green house on Park Place and then turns to Emma, her evil grin dissolving into a soft smile. "What?" she asks, squeezing her hand back to acknowledge the blonde's earlier gesture.

"Cora's back," Emma whispers as she cuts her eyes over toward the woman who is awkwardly brooding in the corner.

Emma's back is to Cora, so the older woman does not see her subtle signal, but she does see Regina's eyes when they look straight at her. She meets Regina's gaze, which causes Regina's back to reflexively stiffen as she tries to read her mother's expression.

A flurry of thoughts run through Regina's mind at that moment. Her mother still looks angry, but perhaps slightly less disgusted than when she stormed out of the room without saying anything nearly two hours earlier. There is no empathy or apology in her eyes, but perhaps some sadness. Regina isn't sure what Leopold said to her mother when he argued with her before the game began, but once again she finds herself thinking that maybe he will be a catalyst for a change in their relationship. If Cora really loves him, then maybe she will be receptive to his words and actions. He has made it very clear tonight that he loves and accepts his daughter, and he is not willing to turn his back on Emma. If Cora really loves him, then maybe her love for him will help her overcome her misguided hate for her daughter and future stepdaughter.

Regina makes herself send a small smile toward her mother. Cora doesn't return it, but she doesn't ignore it, nor does she turn away immediately. Regina lets out a breath and looks back at the board, a genuine smile threatening the corners of her lips.

"What was that?" Emma asks, noticing the change in Regina's demeanor.

Regina rests her right hand on the blonde's bent knee as she prepares to roll the dice with her left. "I think that was progress."

* * *

 **A/N:** Thank you so much for reading, following, favoriting, and reviewing! I can't believe how many people joined me on this little journey, but I'm so glad you did. There will probably be an epilogue sometime this week, because I have three ideas that I came up with that I might want to explore to round out this fic even more. But for now, consider it complete.

For any readers of _A New Exploration_ , in case you missed it, I posted the Christmas chapter this morning.

Have a wonderful and safe holiday.


	7. Epilogue: Part One

**A/N:** Hi friends, remember me? So, this is way overdue. A lot has been going on since work/school/teaching started back up, so I haven't had as much time to write, and I wanted to let this fic settle a bit in my brain before I wrote the epilogue since I cranked out the fic in such a short time period. As I mentioned at the end of the last chapter, I was thinking of three different ideas for the epilogue. I ended up combining all of them into one, and it took on a life of its own. Because I'm still working on it and it's already pushing 12k words, I decided to post it in two parts. Here's part one, and part two will be up as soon as I finish writing and editing it (aiming for this weekend). Part one is really setting up for what's to come in part two, but nonetheless in this chapter you'll get a bit of info on what our ladies have been up to over the past year, a little fluff, a little lovin' (this is a T rated fic, so don't get too excited about it), and a little drama.

This chapter jumps around in time a bit through flashbacks (which are more like narrative flashbacks, rather than full scenes) and present day. For reading simplicity, I'm using the line breaks to denote the start/end of flashbacks, and a single hash ( **#** ) to separate scenes/times within the flashbacks. My usual break ( ***.*.*** ) will be for scene breaks in present day, as always. I hope that makes sense. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

(Sidenote: I posted this 45 minutes ago, but it won't show up in the story, and even with the direct chapter URL it says it's unavailable, so I deleted it and reposted it. Hopefully this works and sorry if it clutters your email notifications!)

* * *

 **EPILOGUE PT. 1  
** **ONE YEAR LATER: CHRISTMAS EVE**

"What was that address again, ma'am?" the driver asks, glancing in the rearview mirror of the town car and looking at the reflection of his brunette passenger in the backseat.

"108 Mifflin Street," the woman confirms, meeting the reflection of his eyes briefly before resetting her focus on cell phone in her hands. She quickly shoots off a text: _'ETA 10 minutes'_ before putting it back in her purse.

"Thank you, ma'am. We're about ten minutes away," he says as he crosses the Storybrooke town line.

"I know," she chuckles softly, looking out at the trees lining the road and thinking back to how different it feels this time. She hasn't been back to Storybrooke since the chaos of Christmas last year, and this time as she crosses the town line, she doesn't feel the same impending sense of doom. She is still uneasy, as that feeling may never fully dissipate, but she feels more confident in her ability to handle anything that may come her way. And, she's actually a little excited to see her sister, who she hasn't seen in a year. This time, Zelena is bringing her fiancé home for Christmas, and Regina has heard so much about Walsh, the successful barrister who has stolen her sister's heart, that she is excited to meet him in person.

Her thoughts of her sister and future brother-in-law are interrupted when her phone dings and vibrates in her bag next to her. She reaches for it, smiling when she sees the message preview on the lock screen: _'Good. I miss you. See you soon!'_ She bites her lip, hoping to stop the goofy grin on her face from growing as she reads the blonde's message. It has only been 36 hours since she has last seen the woman, but Regina still misses her nonetheless. Regina had intended to fly out of D.C. with Emma the previous morning, but one of Regina's patients had an emergency, so Emma had reluctantly gone ahead without her. Fortunately, Regina had been able to secure the last available seat on an early afternoon flight on Christmas Eve, and now she is quickly approaching her childhood home as the car makes its way through town, toward the large mayoral estate.

In the last few minutes of solitude before she arrives at her mother's house, Regina reflects on some of the more pivotal moments that have happened over the last year:

* * *

The rest of the day last Christmas had been uneventful. Their Monopoly tournament had taken hours, with David's parents coming up from behind and securing an unlikely win. Cora had continued to quietly observe the family from the safety of the corner of the room, still uncomfortable with the revelation that Emma was gay, and even worse, that Emma and Regina had a sexual history. But, for the sake of her fiancé Leopold, Cora had tried her best to be part of the day's events. Dinner that night had been tense and quiet, but everyone had made it through relatively unscathed.

Regina had planned to fly back to D.C. on the day after Christmas last year, but because of the substantial snowfall in Maine and a comparable blizzard in the D.C. area, flights had been cancelled and delayed for several days leading up to Regina's scheduled departure. When she had checked her flight information Christmas night in her room in the guest house, she was annoyed to find out that it, too, had been cancelled. It seemed as though she would not have been able to get a flight for another two days, and she had patients she needed to see back at her practice. "You know," Emma had said as she watched the brunette's frustration from her spot in the doorway, "I'm driving back to Baltimore in the morning anyway. D.C. isn't that far out of my way, so I can drive you back if you want," the blonde had offered. Regina had been hesitant, worried that they would kill each other if they were trapped in a car for eight hours, afraid of it ruining any potential relationship they may have moving forward. When Regina had expressed her concerns to Emma, the blonde merely shrugged and said, "I promise I'll be on my best behavior." Regina had reluctantly agreed, and miraculously, they had both survived the road trip. And honestly, they had even enjoyed the little adventure, using the time to get to know each other better, away from the awkwardness of their family and without any influence from alcohol or orgasms.

Before Regina had departed the yellow Volkswagen that Emma had double-parked in front of the brunette's rowhouse, the blonde gently reminded Regina of her previous promise: "So, if I remember correctly, yesterday you did promise me a date." Regina had laughed as she unbuckled her seatbelt and reached for her suitcase in the backseat, saying _I did, didn't I?_ The brunette had quickly grabbed a pen and a discarded receipt she found in the car's cup holder and wrote down her phone number, telling the blonde to call her and sending her a wink. Regina then thanked her for the ride and headed up the front sidewalk of her home, waving at Emma as she drove away.

 **#**

Their first official date had been New Year's Eve. That hadn't been either woman's intention, given that it was always a night of grand celebration and expectations, but it was the first night they both had off since returning back home after spending Christmas in Storybrooke. Regina had been busy with patients well into the evening hours every day that week to make up for her time off over the holiday vacation, so she had very little free time until New Year's Eve. Emma had never been a huge fan of New Year's Eve, finding it overpriced and overrated, so she hadn't made any plans for that night, which meant her calendar was wide open. "Well," Regina had said as she spoke on the phone to Emma a few nights after returning home, "my only plan is to go to my friend Jefferson's party around 9 or 10 that night, so if you'd like to be my date, you're welcome to join. And maybe we could grab dinner earlier in the evening for the more typical first date-like event?"

"Isn't Jefferson the guy who had the New Year's Eve party where we first met?" Emma had asked after she readily agreed to Regina's plan.

"Oh, you're right," Regina had replied, not even making the connection. (Jefferson has been the only friend from high school who she still sees regularly, as he lives nearby with his husband and their young daughter Grace). "We've certainly come full circle."

And so, they had gone to his party after having a nice dinner at a small farm-to-table restaurant, well before the restaurant had been turned over for its own New Year's Eve celebration. They had enjoyed themselves at both dinner and at the party, and Jefferson had even remembered Emma from his party ten years earlier (only due to the fact that Regina had confessed to him the morning after his party in college that she had just lost her virginity to his roommate's girlfriend's cousin, and he had never let her live that down). "I do have an empty guest bedroom," he had commented to the women early in the night as he handed them each a cocktail. "Feel free to use it if you want to relive your glory days," he had winked. Regina had sent him a stern glare and lightly punched him in the arm before apologizing to Emma and taking her hand to introduce her to some of her less obnoxious friends.

Despite Jefferson's crude suggestion, Regina and Emma had managed not to become too intoxicated and did not end up staying the night in Jefferson's spare bedroom. Instead, they walked back to Regina's home a little after 1 A.M., as it was only a few blocks away. Regina had offered to let Emma stay the night, since she didn't like the idea of the blonde trying to get back to her apartment in Baltimore over an hour away on a crazy night like New Year's Eve. "But, no sex," Regina had said firmly. "I was serious about not wanting to start whatever this is with sex this time around." Emma had agreed, saying that they should take this slowly and not rush into anything they might regret. But, that didn't mean that they couldn't literally sleep together, so Regina had offered Emma the other side of her king-sized bed, which the blonde was more than happy to accept. They were both exhausted anyway and had passed out almost immediately, but not before exchanging a few lazy kisses. They had woken up the next morning entangled in each other's arms and with a barely manageable hangover, which Emma had cured with her favorite pancake recipe.

 **#**

Things had been going well for the two women the rest of the year. They had survived a few arguments, which were mostly brought on by their demanding and competing schedules and living more than an hour away from one another — they couldn't just drop by for a short visit after work, and instead had to plan their dates in advance. In April, Emma's lease had been up on her loft in Baltimore, and she had casually mentioned to Regina that perhaps they should think about moving in together, or at least closer to each other. Regina had tensed up, thinking it was far too soon to live together, especially because they never saw each other more than once or twice per week due to the physical distance between their respective homes. Regina was worried that it would have been too much too soon, and Emma had respected that and didn't want to push her. After a long conversation, they agreed it would be nice to live closer to each other, so Emma had decided to move to Silver Spring, Maryland, as Regina couldn't move any closer to Baltimore (she owned her townhouse and didn't want to sell it, and she also had to stay within a quick commute to her affiliated hospital). Emma's new apartment put her farther away from her work in Baltimore, but it was still an easy commute, and much closer to D.C. and Regina. She had ended up finding a six-month sublet in Silver Spring, which had given them time to adjust to being able to see each other more frequently. Weeknight dinners or a casual Netflix binge and sleepover had become regular occurrences, as Emma's sublet had been less than 20 minutes from Regina's house. That experiment had gone well, and when the sublet had ended in October, Regina had asked Emma to move in with her, an offer which she quickly accepted. It's only been two months since the blonde officially began living with Regina, but they have been extremely happy.

* * *

When the town car pulls into the driveway of 108 Mifflin Street, Regina sees the blonde smiling at the end of the sidewalk, rushing to the car door to open it before the chauffeur can get out to do his job. "Hey, babe," Emma says, quickly stealing a kiss as the brunette steps out of the car as she grabs the large tote bag from Regina's hands.

"Emma," Regina warns, glancing back toward the house.

"Relax. Everyone's in the kitchen at the back of the house. No one can see us."

"Well, in that case," Regina grins, answering the blonde with another kiss of her own. "I missed you."

"Would you like help with your bag, ma'am?" the driver asks, awkwardly standing by as the blonde woman blocks his view of his passenger.

"No, thank you. I've got it from here," Regina responds, tugging on Emma's waist to get the blonde to take a step to the side, allowing Regina to tip the driver.

"Thank you, ma'am. Merry Christmas," he says as he nods his head toward her before stepping back into his vehicle.

"Shall we?" Emma asks as they watch the car back out of the driveway and she offers Regina her hand.

"I suppose we should," Regina says, suddenly tense.

"Hey, it'll be fine, Regina," the blonde says, sending her a reassuring smile.

"You're much more optimistic than I am," Regina says. "We might actually kill my mother this weekend."

Emma bites back a chuckle. "You're being a little overdramatic, Regina."

The brunette looks over at her and raises a brow. "Am I, dear? Need I remind you that Cora nearly had a coronary last year when you kissed me under the mistletoe?"

"True. But for what it's worth, she seems a little more chill this year. Maybe my dad's been lacing her tea with his good weed."

Regina stops in her tracks, her eyes wide. "What?"

"Oh, please. He was at Woodstock and spent his med school years living in the back of a tie-dye van. I would be surprised if he doesn't still indulge now and then."

"Wow…I wonder if my mother knows she married a hippie," she comments as they walk inside.

"Regina's here!" Emma announces as she walks back into the foyer, releasing Regina's hand as she does.

"Oh, dear, you made it!" Cora says as she walks down the hall to greet her daughter, causing Regina to instinctively step to the side to put more space between Emma and herself.

She's surprised that her mother opens her arms and pulls her in for a hug — it's awkward, but it seems genuine, and it is a completely different greeting than she had received last year when she entered her childhood home. "Hi, Mother," she says as she stiffens in the uncomfortable embrace before stepping back. "Should I put my things in the guest house?"

"Yes, or your old bedroom is available, if you'd prefer that. Mary-Margaret, David, and the kids are also staying upstairs. Emma, Zelena, and Walsh are in the cottage, though, if you would rather stay out there. It's probably quieter."

"Oh, that's perfect, thanks," Regina says, taking her bag from Emma.

"Is that all you brought?" Cora asks skeptically, as she looks at the small overnight bag in Regina's hand.

"Oh, um, yeah. I packed light since it's only two days," she replies, catching Emma's eye in her periphery. Truthfully, since they had planned to fly out together, they had put everything in Emma's rolling suitcase. There was no reason to check two bags for such a short trip.

"Hmm," Cora frowns before resetting her face. "Well, you know where it is. When you're settled feel free to join us. The others are baking cookies in the kitchen, and they could use your steady doctor hands for the frosting portion."

"Aren't David and Leopold back there?" Regina asks, referring to the other two physicians.

"Yes, but they lack finesse."

"Ah," Regina chuckles. "I won't be long," she says as she walks toward the back of the house, bypassing the kitchen to go toward the side exit.

"I think I'm going to change quickly," Emma says to Cora as she watches Regina walk down the hallway. "I imagine this might get messy, and I don't want to ruin this sweater," she says before excusing herself. She quickly walks through the house and into the backyard, following Regina into the empty guest cottage. As soon as they're safely inside, Emma pushes Regina against the closed door, surprising the woman who didn't realize she had been followed. "God, I missed you," she says in between greedy kisses, slowly moving down Regina's neck.

"Emma," Regina moans as the blonde heads straight for her clavicular notch, a spot the Emma had discovered was particularly sensitive on their second official date. Emma can feel the vibrations of Regina's moans against her tongue as she flicks it across the delicate skin. "Fuck."

"That's the idea," Emma laughs as she continues a trail down Regina's chest, thankful that the brunette wore a deep scoop-neck sweater, allowing her unobstructed access.

"I don't think we have time," Regina says, making no actual effort to stop Emma's motions.

"We could if we're quick," she says, looking up at the woman with a hunger in her eyes as she drops down to her knees, toying with the elastic waistband of Regina's leggings. "You don't even have to do anything…you can owe me one," she winks. "I know how much traveling stresses you out. Let me relieve some of that tension."

Regina knows she can't resist, so she just closes her eyes and rests her head against the door as she hooks a leg over Emma's shoulder and runs her fingers through the blonde hair, gently guiding her to where she wants her to be.

 ***.*.***

"We're back," Emma announces as she and Regina return to the main house fifteen minutes later.

"Isn't that what you were wearing before?" Cora asks when she sees the blonde enter the kitchen.

"What?" Emma asks, confused.

"Didn't you say you were going to change in case this gets messy?"

"Oh," Emma replies, caught off-guard. "Right. Yeah, I realized I didn't really bring anything else to change into. I had thought I packed an old t-shirt but I must have left it in D.C.," Emma recovers. "So I just kept Regina company while she unpacked her things."

"Oh, that was nice of you," Mary-Margaret says to her sister, looking up from the bowl of dough that she's currently pouring chocolate chips into and trying to conceal her smile, while Zelena looks between her sister and step-sisters with a curious expression on her face.

"So, where are my two favorite one-year-olds?" Regina asks, changing the subject.

"They are taking their nap, but they are very excited to see their favorite obstetrician again," David comments as he helps Neal cut out shapes in the cookie dough.

"So, how are you liking D.C.?" Leopold asks his daughter, handing Regina a glass of chardonnay. It's a little early to be drinking, but it is a holiday after all, so Regina shrugs and takes the glass. "Do you two get to see each other much? I hope Regina has been showing you around."

Regina nearly chokes on her first sip of wine, and Emma bites back a laugh.

"She has. She's introduced me to quite a few people. And D.C. is nice…I like it," Emma says. "It's much different from Baltimore, and definitely from Silver Spring, but there's a lot happening. It has a nice vibe, and the people are great."

"And the commute doesn't annoy you?" Cora asks. "I can't imagine anyone wanting to make their commute over an hour after living so close."

"It's kind of nice, actually," Emma says. "I used to live five minutes from my office, so I never felt like I was really away from it. The distance helps me leave work at work, and I'm able to read when I take the train, or listen to podcasts when I drive. It's not so bad, and it's worth it," she says, quickly glancing over at Regina, who has finally recovered from her coughing fit. "I'm very happy there."

"Well, that's great to hear," Leopold says. "And thank you for helping my little girl get settled into a new town, Regina."

"Anytime," Regina says awkwardly. "Now, how can I help with this makeshift bakery situation you have happening in here?"

The family continues to bake an obscene number of cookies and a cake in preparation for the twins' first birthday celebration that evening. Regina is on cookie frosting and decorating duty, for which she eagerly recruits Emma's help. "We need to tell them," Regina whispers to Emma as she uses a pastry bag to add a delicate flower to the top of a sugar cookie. "And Jesus, what is that supposed to be?" she asks, looking over at the cookie in front of Emma, appalled.

"A snowman?" Emma answers, frowning at her own work.

"How did you mess up a snowman? It's literally just three dollops of frosting…Give it here," Regina commands.

"Maybe I'll stick to sprinkle duty."

"Yeah, that's probably best," Regina laughs as she tries to salvage Emma's pathetic attempt.

Emma lowers her voice once again. "When do you want to tell them?"

"Well, I had wanted to do it last night, but rescheduling my flight kind of ruined that plan," Regina says, pausing to look at the corrected frosted snowman in front of her. "I'd like to do it tonight, but if it doesn't go well, I don't want to ruin the twins' birthday party, you know?"

"Okay, so how about tomorrow?"

"Ugh, tomorrow's Christmas. It's the same risk."

"Regina, I think they'll be fine with it, and even if they aren't, well, there's nothing they can do about it now," she says, subtly squeezing the brunette's knee under the table.

"I know, and you're probably right," Regina nods. "Maybe after presents tomorrow, then? Once everything has calmed down and the excitement of the morning is over?"

"Sounds like a plan," Emma smiles before resuming her task of pouring sprinkles on everything. "But are you sure you can keep your hands to yourself until then?"

Regina raises a brow. "Are you? You're the one who couldn't make it five minutes before fucking me against the door of the guest house, dear," Regina whispers as she leans over to grab a container of frosting, intentionally moving unnecessarily close to Emma so that her breasts are in the blonde's face as she grabs the can.

Emma shrugs. "Point taken."

Regina goes back to carefully decorating the cookies, but her mind is elsewhere, thinking back to how they got themselves into this situation…the secrecy and not-quite-blatant lies —more lies of omission, really — to their family:

* * *

Emma had flown out to Storybrooke two days before Christmas, even though Regina couldn't join her because of her patient. "There's no sense in wasting both of our plane tickets, and it's only one day," Regina had told her when Emma had insisted that she stay behind so they could travel together. "We can survive one night apart," she had reminded her. Emma had responded by saying that just because they can, doesn't mean she wants to, which had been the right thing to say and had led to Regina bringing Emma to her peak twice on their living room couch that evening.

Their original plan had been to tell their now-married parents about their own relationship with each other on the day they arrived, which would have given their families — well, mainly Cora, as she's the biggest question mark — time to process and accept the news over the course of their holiday visit. Although Emma suspects that her father might at least have an inkling of an idea about the true extent of her relationship with Regina, Cora is certainly in the dark. After that very elaborate display under the mistletoe on Christmas day the year before, and despite partnering up for the epic Monopoly tournament immediately after, Emma and Regina had maintained a friendly distance from one another the rest of the time at the mayoral mansion last year. They had both been a little unsure of what would happen between them, and therefore they hadn't wanted their family to scrutinize their every move, particularly after Emma had announced that they had slept together back in college. Instead, they had wanted to make sure any relationship they may have would start out with a clean slate and without the awkward influence of their family dynamic. And, Cora had still been clearly upset by all the revelations, so they had wanted to give her space. As much as Regina reveled in watching her mother squirm, Leopold had undoubtedly been hurt by Cora's reaction to Emma announcing her sexuality. Leopold loves his daughter dearly, so they had not wanted to rub salt on that wound or come between their parents by continuing to prod Cora.

And although it's been nearly a year, there hasn't been a good time to bring it up —Regina hasn't seen her mother, Leopold, or her sister since Christmas. Regina had missed Cora and Leopold's wedding in June because she had already been scheduled to present one of her patient case studies at a highly-regarded international medical conference. While Emma did attend the wedding, she wasn't about to bring it up over her father's wedding weekend, nor was she going to do drop that bomb on their parents without Regina present. Cora had been icy toward Emma anyway during that weekend, clearly blaming Emma for contributing to Regina's commitment to something she still views as an immoral lifestyle, so Emma had focused on getting through the weekend as drama-free as possible.

To her credit, Cora has made small improvements over the course of the year. She and Regina have starting holding monthly phone calls, chatting for about an hour on the third Sunday evening of every month. They both had been avoiding the topic of Regina's romantic life since it was still a point of contention between the mother and daughter, but at least they were on speaking terms, which is more than what could be said about their relationship for the previous decade. And, her mother had significantly reduced her underhanded comments and her notorious criticisms disguised as passive-aggressive compliments. Cora had also stopped trying to set Regina up with eligible bachelors, so Regina has viewed that as a step in the right direction. She knows that nearly fifteen years of her mother's prejudices and homophobia wouldn't disappear overnight, so Regina has decided to be patient. As much as she hates to admit it, she really had missed having a relationship — even a strained one — with her mother. She just hopes that all the work they've done over the past year is enough to weather the future storm she knows will come when she and Emma spill their secret.

Zelena doesn't know about their relationship, either. Regina and Zelena have started speaking more often as well, but it has been logistically convoluted since her sister still lives in England. The significant time zone difference and physical distance means that they hadn't seen each other since last Christmas, and scheduling calls around both of their busy work schedules and across timezones has been complicated. Instead, they have primarily been communicating via text and email. Zelena has also gone into full on wedding planning mode with her fiancé Walsh, so she's reverted to her typical self-absorbed nature, which is fine with Regina — it has kept the focus off of Regina.

But, not everyone is unaware of the truth — Mary-Margaret and David already know about the couple's relationship. Regina and Emma had stayed with the couple when Regina was attending an advanced fetal medicine workshop at Boston Children's Hospital back in August, several months after Emma had moved to be closer to D.C. Emma had tagged along, hanging out with her niece and nephews, sister, and brother-in-law while Regina was busy working. After Regina had finished with the workshop, they had decided to extend their visit a little longer so Regina could do a little sight-seeing and spend more time with the kids and her new step-sister and step-brother-in-law. Their visit had coincided with back-to-school half-day prep meetings for school teachers, so Mary-Margaret had been busy during the mornings at work. David was often at the clinic with his own patients, which left Regina and Emma to watch the kids in the mornings. However, Mary-Margaret had returned earlier than expected one morning when her principal dismissed them all early, so she had rushed back home to relieve the two women of babysitting duties so they could have more time to explore the city. The pixie-haired brunette had been shocked to walk into her living room to find Regina lying on top of Emma and the blonde's hands firmly on the other woman's ass as they were engrossed in a heated makeout session. After making her presence known, the two women had scrambled away from each other, each sending a sheepish look toward Mary-Margaret. Aside from Mary-Margaret scolding the couple for not paying ample attention to her two infants who they were supposed to be babysitting (Neal had been at a friend's house), Mary-Margaret had taken the news well. She had been happy for them and had promised to keep the information to herself —well, aside from David. She had to tell David, because she would never keep a secret from him. David had congratulated Emma and Regina that evening, being his charming and supportive self, and the rest of the trip had been a success. Hell, Regina had even found herself starting to like Mary-Margaret's infectious enthusiasm about anything and everything by the end of their week together.

* * *

"Okay, it's Auntie Regina's turn to hold them!" Regina says as she walks toward the twins. Everyone had just finished eating their cake after singing a rousing verse of "Happy Birthday to You" for Evie and Robbie, and the family was now scattered around the first floor of the mayoral mansion. The twins had been blissfully unaware of the chaos surrounding them all evening, but they were just old enough to know they wanted the giant gooey chocolate creation placed in front of them during the birthday song.

"Here you go!" Mary-Margaret says, handing baby Robbie to her step-sister as David passes Evie over to Emma. "I'm going to go make some tea. Would you like any?"

"No, thanks," Emma says as Regina shakes her head. Mary-Margaret shrugs and takes David's hand, leaving the two women alone with the infants.

"God, they're so cute," Regina comments as her face lights up in response to the smile Robbie is giving her. "I swear, they get cuter every time I see them."

"Do you think we should start thinking about kids soon?" Emma asks casually as she blows a raspberry on Evie's cheek.

"Wait, what?" Regina asks in a hushed tone, not wanting to draw attention to them.

Emma chuckles when she sees Regina's stunned expression. "Careful…Don't drop the kid."

"I'm not going to drop the baby," the brunette says as she rolls her eyes, but she repositions him into a more secure grip as she cradles him to her shoulder just to be safe. "And do you really think now is the time to talk about this?"

"Relax, Regina," Emma says. "I was half-kidding."

"Well it's that other half that concerns me," she replies under her breath.

Emma drops her voice to a whisper, as she notices her father has entered the room and she doesn't want him to overhear. "I know you're not ready yet, and I'm not either. But it could be a long process, so we should talk about it when we're at least a year or two away from being ready."

"Good point," Regina says. They had certainly discussed their thoughts on kids previously, especially given Regina's line of work. At the time of their conversation, neither woman had an immediate desire to start a family, but they both had wanted to become mothers in the somewhat-distant future. During their first discussion about children, Regina had confessed to Emma that she's infertile, a diagnosis she had received when she had some tests done during medical school for some other reproductive symptoms she had been experiencing at the time. Regina had made her peace with it over the years, but she had been worried about how Emma would react to the news. Fortunately, Emma had been supportive and said that when they were ready, she would be willing to carry the baby, or they could adopt. Emma had told her that she didn't care about the baby's biology, as long as she could raise the child with Regina. Emma's words had only made the brunette fall even more in love with her. "Maybe in a few months, once things settle down again and, you know, our family knows about us," Regina finally says.

Emma replies, "Touché," as she subtly indicates that they should switch twins. They effortless swap the babies, with Regina now holding her niece while Emma gets some face time with her nephew.

"You two look positively well-practiced in this," Zelena comments as she comes over to the pair, gesturing to the twins.

"Well, I do handle babies for a living, Zee," Regina sasses to her sister with a smirk as she rocks Evie in her arms.

"There you are, Zelena," Walsh says as he comes over to the trio of women, kissing his fiancée's cheek. "Are you taking notes?" He adds as an afterthought, his voice low.

But, it's not low enough, as Regina catches his words. "What was that, Walsh?"

"Nothing," Zelena says, far too quickly.

Her sister looks up at her skeptically. "Oh my God! That's why you didn't have any wine today!"

"Holy crap. You're pregnant?" Emma asks, keeping her voice quiet.

"Shhhh!" Zelena hushes them. "Not now."

"Oh, yes now," Regina says. "You can't keep this a secret from us."

"Oh, like you're one to talk," Zelena says, her voice a little louder now.

"What?" Regina asks, innocently.

"Oh, please. You two are so bloody obvious," she says, looking between her sister and her new step-sister.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Zelena," Regina says.

"Oh, so Emma wasn't fucking you in the guest house this afternoon? That must have been someone else, then. My mistake," she says quietly as she shrugs, turning to walk away.

"Whoa, wait!" Regina says, far too loudly as she grabs her sister's arm with her free hand. When the redhead turns around, she has a shit-eating grin on her face. Regina then lowers her voice, since she can see that her outburst has caused Cora to look over at them with her trademark scowl. "You saw us?"

"Indeed. I was running back over to change into a lighter sweater, since my hormones keep making me get hot all the time and I can never seem to accurately predict how thick of a sweater to wear. But, just as I was about to walk in the side door of the cottage, something caught my eye through the window. Low and behold, my darling baby sister was pressed against the door and my new even younger step-sister was kneeling with her head—"

"Okay, that's enough," Regina says, putting her hand up to stop Zelena from saying anything more.

"Oh God," Emma groans.

"Actually, I'm pretty sure that's what Regina was saying," Zelena smirks.

"Ugh," Regina huffs. "Why didn't you say anything earlier?"

"Where would the fun be in that?" Zelena winks. "But, I'm happy for you…unless this is just some more casual hook up thing again, in which case, good for you…get yours."

Regina manages to calm down her irritation and rolls her eyes. "It's not," she says. "We're well past that now."

"Good. You deserve to be happy. You both do," she says genuinely.

"Thank you, Zee," Regina smiles.

"So, how long has this been going on? Since Christmas?" Zelena asks.

"Pretty much," Emma says. "We decided at that point to give it a try. We went out when we got back to D.C. and have been together ever since."

"That's great," Zelena smiles before turning to give her sister a pointed look. "So when are you telling Mum and Leo?"

"Tomorrow after breakfast, probably," Regina says. "I didn't want to ruin the twins' birthday if the news isn't well-received."

"You'll be fine, sis," Zelena says, placing a supportive hand on Regina's upper arm.

"Really?" Regina arches a skeptical brow.

"Maybe…probably not," Zelena admits. "But, you'll survive."

"Thanks," Regina deadpans. "Now, back to you two. How far along are you?"

"Fourteen weeks," Zelena says, glancing over at Walsh who has been surprisingly quiet during the revelation that his future sister-in-law, who he just met for the first time, is in a lesbian relationship with his future step-sister-in-law.

"You're weeks past the first trimester and you still haven't told anyone?" Regina says. "Why not?"

"Well, you know Mother," Zelena says. "She's a bit traditional."

"Zelena, you're 36. She's can't possibly think that you're some blushing virgin bride. And if you're 14 weeks along, there's no way to pass this off as a honeymoon baby. You're not even getting married for another eight months. She's going to realize it when you have a two-month-old flower girl in your arms at the ceremony."

"I know that," Zelena scoffs. "I've just been putting it off. I know she'll eventually be happy, but she's still terrifying when she wants to be."

Regina laughs. "Oh, I know. But hey, if you're worried about how she'll react to your announcement, then you can go first with your news. When she freaks out on you for having a baby out of wedlock, I can immediately follow that up with 'oh, hey, I'm banging my new step-sister every night.' Then you'll be Cora's favorite daughter once again."

Emma twists her face. "Please don't get in the habit of calling me your step-sister. That's disturbing."

"Sorry," Regina chuckles.

"It is technically true though," Zelena points out, as though she is only now realizing it. "That is wicked creepy."

"Well, to be fair, Emma and I hooked up long before Mother ever met Leopold," Regina points out.

"Still want to be part of this family, Walsh?" Emma asks as she sends the man a wink.

"You're all crazy, but Zelena's worth it," he replies.

"Wow…definitely don't let this one get away," Regina says to her sister with a smile.

* * *

 **A/N:** So, there's part one! (I couldn't decide between the road trip back to D.C. the day after Christmas, NYE/their first date, and Christmas one year later as the epilogue, so I figured I'd cover them all in one). There's still _a lot_ to happen on Christmas, so be on the look out for part two of the epilogue coming this weekend! Thanks for reading!


	8. Epilogue: Part Two

**A/N:** Okay, so I lied a little. I had planned for the epilogue to be two parts (well, that wasn't always my plan, but after writing the majority of the epilogue and hitting 10k words, I decided it needed to be two). But then as I kept writing part two, it kept getting longer because things kept happening and I didn't want to shortchange it. I thought about keeping it in two parts still, but with FFnet's weird glitch earlier this week where my chapter disappeared for 24 hours so I'm not sure if everyone's had a chance to read it yet, and the fact that part two alone would've been 11k words, I decided to split part two into two parts, since it covers two days anyway. But, I promise it will only be three parts total, and it's already finished, so the rest will be up this weekend!

Here's hoping there aren't any more vanishing chapter glitches.

* * *

 **EPILOGUE PT. 2:  
CHRISTMAS DAY**

Christmas morning arrives without much fanfare, as it's completely silent in the kid-free guest house. Regina awakens with the sun coming in through the window, smiling into the soft pillow beneath her as she feels slender arms tighten around her waist. "Good morning," she mumbles, turning her head slightly as she feels a kiss being pressed to her bare shoulder.

"Merry Christmas," the blonde murmurs into her neck. "You smell really good."

Regina chuckles as she rolls onto her back, looking over at the blonde. "Thanks. I showered last night," she says with an eye roll.

"Oh, I know. I remember it fondly," Emma smiles, pressing herself up to a seated position. When they returned to the guest house the previous night after the twins' birthday presents had been opened, Regina had wanted to take a shower since it had been a long day of traveling, baking, and family time. She had coaxed the blonde into joining her, which didn't take much persuasion on her part. And, Regina had also wanted to make good on her promise to return the favor Emma had given her earlier in the day. Emma had not raised any objections.

The brunette stifles a yawn as she stretches out, kicking the comforter down toward the foot of the bed as she drags a finger up and down the curve of Emma's spine. "What time is it? Do we need to head over soon?"

Emma reaches over to the nightstand where both of their cell phones are charging, touching the screen of one to check. "Oh, shit. Yeah. It's almost 9:30."

"Wait, really? How has no one woken us up yet? I can't imagine Neal isn't antsy to dig into the presents."

"I have no idea, but we should get dressed and head over before they come looking for us," Emma says as she stands up to dig through her suitcase, pulling out a pair of slightly-wrinkled denim jeggings for herself. She then grabs the black velvet skinnies for Regina, tossing the pants at the woman on the bed. She takes out two tops —a grey v-neck tee and a red and white flannel button down — and holds them both up for Regina. "Which one?"

"I'm not wearing flannel with velvet," Regina says, scrunching her face is displeasure.

Emma shrugs and throws her the grey tee as she throws on the flannel shirt for herself, partially tucking it into the jeans she already put on. "Here, you might want this," she says as she picks up Regina's hair brush and throws it onto the bed. "Your hair is a little…" Emma says, gesturing wildly with her hands.

"And whose fault is that?" Regina asks.

Emma says nothing, but she winks as she quickly makes her way out into the hallway to go brush her teeth. "Be ready to go in five minutes, babe," she calls from down the hall.

"Yes, dear," Regina says, reluctantly getting up from the bed to get dressed for the day, grabbing a cardigan to throw on over her tee and following the blonde down the hall.

 ***.*.***

"Oh, there you are! We thought you were going to sleep all day," Cora comments as Emma and Regina make their way into the living room of the mayoral mansion.

"I probably would have if Emma hadn't woken me up," Regina says without thinking. She sees Zelena arch an eyebrow and Mary-Margaret bite back a smirk in response, but no one else seems to think anything of it. For all Leopold and Cora know, Emma could have knocked on the door of Regina's room to wake her up. After all, the guest house has three bedrooms, and while Zelena and Walsh are clearly sharing one, their parents don't suspect that the third bedroom is going unoccupied.

"Well, we're glad you're here now," Leopold says as he hands Neal the first present to unwrap.

"Yes, sis, how did you sleep last night?" Zelena whispers while everyone else is distracted by the young child tearing into the presents.

"Like a baby on a cloud, once you and Walsh finally gave it a rest," Regina states. "Could you keep it down for the rest of the time we're here? I don't want to hear my sister having sex," Regina scolds.

"Well, my hormones are a little out of control right now. I can't help it," Zelena shrugs. "And besides, I didn't want to see my sister having sex, but you didn't give me much of a choice when I got an eyeful yesterday. You can deal with a little noise for a few nights."

Regina shifts uncomfortably in her seat on the sofa. "Ugh, don't remind me. Please forget that you ever saw that."

"Oh, believe me, I'm trying. But that image is permanently burned into my retinas."

"Girls, keep it down," Cora admonishes from across the room, causing her two daughters to sit up straight and silently pray that no one overheard their conversation.

 ***.*.***

It's a half hour later when Neal and the twins (with their parents' help) are finished opening their Christmas gifts, and the children are blissfully distracted by their new toys and gadgets, allowing the adults to quietly exchange gifts. Regina and Emma had shipped their gifts for their family to Maine ahead of time, so they are already wrapped and waiting under the tree. Emma crawls over to the obscenely tall evergreen so she can pass out the gifts she bought for her family. "Do you mind handing out the ones from me, too, as long as you're already under there?" Regina asks, chuckling at the blonde's ass that is sticking out from under the tree as she reaches for a present that's been pushed to the back corner.

"Sure, no problem," she groans as her fingertips barely graze the package in the back, but she manages to roll it closer to herself. She quickly distributes the gifts before making her way back over to the sofa, sitting down next to Regina.

"Aren't you forgetting someone, dear?" Leopold asks, looking at his daughter.

"Um, no?" she replies as she glances around the room. Leopold and Cora, David and Mary-Margaret, and Zelena and Walsh each have their respective gifts from Regina and from Emma in front of them. "Am I missing something?" she asks Regina, who just shrugs.

"You didn't get anything for each other?" Cora asks, her fingernail toying with the edge of the wrapping paper on her gift from Regina. "I know you two have a sordid…err, I mean, a convoluted history, but you're family now and need to be respectful of one another. We don't need your drama."

"Oh," Emma's eyes widen. "Um—"

Thankfully, she is cut off by Regina. "We decided to exchange gifts in D.C. There was no point in us each shipping packages out here just to have to bring them back on the plane, considering we live in the same city."

"Oh," Leopold nods. "Smart."

"Nice save," Emma says under her breath, just loud enough for Regina to hear her.

And it's true — they had decided not to do a formal gift exchange in front of their family, but not because of travel logistics, although the excuse Regina gave had been logical. They had decided to keep their gift exchange casual this year, but that also meant that their gifts for one another weren't necessarily family-friendly. Regina's gift to Emma had actually been something Regina's keeping for herself —a Baltimore Raven's jersey. It's the blonde's favorite team, and one night after they had watched a game with friends at a pub, Emma had gotten a little drunk and confessed to Regina that her ultimate fantasy includes Regina spending a full day wearing nothing but the team's jersey. The brunette had decided to oblige, buying the slightly oversized jersey for herself and hiding it in the back of her closet for future use on a day of Emma's choosing. Instead of wrapping the jersey as the gift, she had asked Jefferson to take a Polaroid of her wearing only the jersey. (Thank God he's gay. He even had a slight moment of panic when Regina had been adjusting the jersey and he accidentally caught a glimpse of her lady bits. She had laughed and completely flashed him just to make him squirm. But as an art director for a marketing company, he had been very useful in capturing the perfect photograph). In the picture, she had been standing in their kitchen making tea at the stove with her back to the camera, shyly looking over her shoulder at the camera as she reached for the cabinet above the stove, an action which caused the jersey to ride up just enough to expose what Emma refers to as "the ass that just won't quit." She had scribbled "I.O.U" on the white portion of the Polaroid and placed the photograph in a small box, which Emma had opened the night before she left for Storybrooke. Emma had said it's cruel to give her that right before a family vacation, but Regina had reminded her it would give her something to look forward to when they get back home. Emma's gift to Regina hadn't been quite as scandalous, but it still felt too personal to give the woman in front of their family. She had managed to score reservations for early January to a Michelin three-starred restaurant that's nearly impossible to get into, which she coupled with a de-stressing giftset she created, including a bottle of Regina's favorite wine, a new Diptyque candle, and massage oil (which she had admitted was a rather selfish gift, as she would get to benefit from it as well).

After the adults finish opening their presents, Regina and Emma excuse themselves to go make more coffee. Cora follows close behind so she can get started on dinner, as the ham will take several hours to properly bake. Regina immediately goes to the shelf where her mother keeps the coffee, pulling down the tin can of dark roast beans and handing it to Emma, who has started boiling water and plugs in the coffee grinder. They prepare the beverage in silence, the only sound coming from the buzzing of the machine as the beans turn into grounds. Regina takes out a tablespoon and carefully measures out the requisite amount, pouring it into the bottom of the French press. As she places the measuring spoon in the sink, Emma pours the hot water into the press, before securing the lid.

Cora's voice interrupts their actions. "You two seem to have the process of making coffee down to a science."

"What?" Regina asks, startled. She hadn't realized her mother was even in the room.

"If I didn't know better, it would seem you do that together every day. Like a well-oiled machine."

"Oh, well, actually—" Emma starts.

"It's just coffee, mother. It's not rocket science," Regina quickly interrupts, sending a look toward Emma.

"I suppose," Cora says before turning her attention back to preparing the ham.

Regina turns around and looks at her watch, and then the coffee carafe, impatiently tapping her foot as she waits for the four minutes it requires to brew to pass.

"Regina, I thought we were going to tell them this morning," Emma whispers, grabbing two mugs from the cabinet after Cora excuses herself from the room for a moment.

"I know," she sighs, "and we will. But we should tell them both together. My mother won't take it well, and Leopold is bound to take it better. Maybe he will be a good buffer."

"Maybe, but I think she might know?" Emma says, her voice indicating her uncertainty. "I mean, her comment about us being a well-oiled machine and seeming like we do this every day?"

"I wouldn't read too much into it. She's always making random observations like that. And even if she does suspect it, I highly doubt that she actually believes it."

"Regina, dear, where's your mother?" Leopold's boisterous voice asks as he enters the kitchen.

"I think she went to the restroom. She'll be back in a minute," Regina answers, pouring a mug of coffee and handing it to Emma before pouring one for herself. "Coffee?" she asks Leopold. They had made enough for at least two extra cups.

"Oh, no thank you, dear. I'm quite alright. I've already had three this morning," he says before pausing, looking carefully at his daughter. "Emma, is that new?"

Her eyebrows raise in question, as she lowers the reindeer coffee cup from her lips. "Is what new?"

He steps closer and points to her right hand that's grasping the mug, specifically the thin silver band inlayed with small diamonds.

She feels her cheeks flush as she looks to Regina, who glares at her. "Oh, um, yeah. Kinda new."

"It's pretty."

"Thank you," she says.

"What's pretty?" Cora asks as she returns to the room, opening the oven and carefully placing the first side dish inside.

"Emma's new ring."

Cora turns around and moves closer to inspect it. "Oh, it is. I didn't take you for the ring-wearing type," she says.

Emma takes another sip of her coffee, giving herself a legitimate reason not to reply right away. As she swallows the hot liquid, she subtly shifts her gaze over to Regina, who is purposely avoiding her. Instead, the brunette is frantically smearing cream cheese on a gingerbread bagel. "I'm not usually," she finally says. "But, the woman I was dating gave it to me, and I love it."

"Oh," Cora says before turning around and returning her focus to her beloved honey ham, not realizing that her daughter is carefully watching her from across the kitchen island.

"I didn't realize you have a girlfriend, honey," Leopold says, frowning slightly. He would have thought that Emma would have told him if she is in a relationship with someone, at least a relationship serious enough to include gifts of jewelry.

Emma chooses her words carefully. "Well, she's not my girlfriend. We're not dating anymore," she says, cutting her eyes over to Regina when she hears the brunette set her dishes down a little too loudly in the kitchen sink.

"Shit, sorry," Regina mumbles as she picks up the empty coffee cup that she had knocked over.

"Oh, well, I'm sorry it didn't work out dear," Leopold says, sending a sympathetic look to his daughter.

"Well, I wouldn't—" Emma starts before Regina interrupts her.

"If you'll all excuse me, I promised my nephew I'd play a rematch of checkers with him," the brunette says before rushing out of the room.

"Is she okay?" Leopold asks, turning toward his wife. "She seems a little off this morning."

"Who knows?" Cora shrugs as she brushes the honey glaze onto the ham. "There's always something with that one. I've stopped trying to figure her out."

Emma sighs. "She's probably just worried about one of her patients or something," she offers.

 ***.*.***

"Hey," Emma says, approaching Regina as she puts the checkers board away in the hall closet. The blonde had sat quietly for the past 35 minutes as she watched Regina and Neal battle it out in multiple games of checkers, which Regina had ultimately let the young boy win. "What the fuck was that?"

"What was what?" Regina asks innocently.

"Regina…"

"Not here," Regina sighs. "Follow me," she says, quickly looking around her to make sure none of her family can see them. Then she's grabbing Emma's forearm and leading her to the sunroom at the back of the house so they can have some privacy.

"Well?" Emma asks as Regina shuts the French doors behind them. "Shit, it's cold in here."

"Yeah, it's not really heated," Regina says as she pulls her red cardigan tighter around her body.

"Well, then let's make this quick so we can return to the land of central heating," Emma suggests as she bounces a bit on her feet to try and warm up. "You want to tell me what that was in the kitchen earlier? Why did you get all twitchy and bail?"

Regina sighs. "I panicked, Emma."

"Why?"

"I don't know," Regina says as she groans in frustration. "It's just being back here…I grew up here, and this house has a lot of really unpleasant memories, and they all just hit me at once."

"I know, babe."

"No, you don't. Not really," she says, her voice a little sharper than she intended. She notices a glint of hurt cross Emma's face, and she quickly clarifies. "You know what I've told you, and I love you and I appreciate how supportive you've been of me and all my Cora-related baggage, but you haven't lived it. We grew up so differently, Emma. After you were adopted, you had a caring and loving mother and father with Eva and Leopold…parents who accepted you for who you are, supported your choice of career. I had an amazing father, but he was a pushover and bowed down to my mother's every whim, and then there's the hell she put me through every day. I know to most people I knew growing up, and to any outsiders, my life as a kid looked perfect. This house is beautiful, and until I was 18 I had the 'perfect' nuclear family. But psychologically, it was anything but. And being back here in this house…it's messing with my head. It makes me feel like I'm 18 again on the night of my high school graduation, about to come out to my parents. When we were in the kitchen this morning… That's where I told them that night, you know. We were putting away the leftovers from my graduation party when I decided to do it. I had snuck an extra piece of cake — which my mother reminded me would just serve as a headstart to the 'Freshman 15', mind you — and I was standing at the island, like you were this morning, when I told them I'm a lesbian, and then my whole world disintegrated in an instant. Nothing was ever the same after that, so this morning, being at that island again, I just panicked," Regina says, her voice becoming quieter the more she speaks, and it's then that Emma realizes the brunette is crying. "I'm sorry. I just couldn't go through that again."

"Regina," she says, pulling the woman toward her and wrapping her arms around her. The brunette is trembling, but whether its due to the unheated room or her quiet sobs, she isn't sure. "It's been 15 years, Regina. You're an adult now. It's different this time."

"I know it's different, but it's clear that my mother is still going to have problems with it, especially with us being us," she says, her face buried in Emma's neck, soaking the blonde's flannel shirt with her tears. When she realizes this, she pulls herself back to look the blonde in the eye, brushing the wetness from her cheeks. "Yesterday and this morning have been the best days I've had in this house since I was 14, before my parents started fighting all the time, before I knew I was gay, before I came out…and I know as soon as the truth is out there, nothing will be the same. I know it's selfish, but I just wanted to enjoy the pleasantness of Christmas and the charade of a happy family a little longer before I ruin it."

"You aren't going to ruin anything. And you are anything but selfish, Regina," Emma says seriously. "You're the most selfless person I know. You deserve to have happy memories."

Regina smiles sadly. "They aren't real, though. Not really, because if everything comes crumbling down afterward…and it's not fair to you to ask you to lie to your family, so it's incredibly selfish on my part. Ugh," she sighs, letting Emma to pull her into another hug. "I think I'm also putting it off because there's a tiny part of me that hasn't totally allowed my mother to destroy all the hope and optimism inside me. And that tiny, little part is hoping that maybe she will be okay with this, and as long as I don't tell her, I can pretend like she'll be happy for us. As soon as it's out there, that little sliver of light will fade away," Regina rambles, tightening her hold on Emma, taking comfort in her arms. "And then there's the fact that my coming out pretty much solidified my parents' divorce. They were already fighting all the time —they had been for years — but that was the nail in the coffin, and they officially split less than a month later. I don't want to feel that burden again. Leopold loves you so much and I know he isn't going to let my mother come between you and him, and I'm afraid that this will ruin their marriage before it's even really begun."

Emma feels her own eyes starting to water as Regina's words and fears sink in. She had known that Regina had been afraid of telling their parents about their relationship, but she hadn't realized the depth of her fears and anxiety. "Regina," she says, and this time she's the one to pull back from their embrace. "First, if their marriage can't withstand our announcement, then their marriage has problems way bigger than anything that has to do with us. But, I don't think you need to worry about that. Yeah, Cora freaked out last year when she found out I was gay and that you and I had a history, but by the end of the night she had at least come back into the room and sat with all of us as we watched a movie. She was trying. And my father still married her, so I'm sure they had some sort of conversation to work through it. But all that said, if you don't want to tell them today, we don't have to. Whatever you want to do is fine with me."

"No," Regina shakes her head. "We do. I don't want to keep lying to them. I think we're at a point now where the longer we wait, the worse it'll be. We just need to do it."

"Rip off the Band-aid?" Emma states.

"Yes. Exactly."

Emma nods as she leans in to quickly kiss the brunette, letting her hands run up Regina's arms until her left hand snakes behind her neck. Her right hand comes to rest on the top of Regina's shoulder, drawing a soft pattern over the fabric of her shirt. "You know how much I love you, right?"

Regina smiles genuinely for the first time since this conversation began. "I do," she says, stealing another kiss.

"Good," Emma says, her fingers tracing Regina's collarbone, pausing in the center and then trailing down her sternum, playing with the long silver chain that falls from Regina's neck. She allows the cool metal to run across her fingers, following the delicate chain until it disappears between her breasts, beneath the deep v-neck of Regina's shirt. The brunette sighs into the touch, letting her body melt into Emma's a little more until Emma's hand reappears, grasping the necklace in her fist. She carefully unfolds her fingers, revealing the thin silver diamond encrusted ring pendent at the end of the chain. She gently toys with it in her fingers, looking at it thoughtfully as she moves to slide her right ring finger through the loop, allowing the ring on Regina's necklace to nestle perfectly against its identical twin on her own finger. She leans in to kiss Regina once more, feeling Regina's hand wrap around hers on the necklace. "So, should we go back inside?"

"Yeah. I'm freaking freezing," Regina chuckles as Emma carefully removes her finger from the ring on the chain. Regina wraps her own hand around it as they exit the room, smiling down at the small silver hoop. She lets go, leaving the jewelry to hang freely from her neck instead of tucking it back inside her shirt as they make their way back into the living room.

"I was wondering where you disappeared to," Mary-Margaret says as the two women sit back down in their spots on the couch.

Emma looks around the room and studies Cora's face, unable to read her expression. "What did we miss?" she whispers to her sister.

"Zelena just announced that she's pregnant," Mary-Margaret replies, but when neither Emma nor Regina seem surprised, she continues. "Wait, did you know?"

Regina nods. "Mmhmm. We found out last night."

"Oh," Mary-Margaret frowns. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"It's not our secret to tell, Mary-Margaret," Emma reminds her sister. "Stop being such a gossip."

"Hey, I kept your secret," her sister points out.

"Yes, you have, and we appreciate that," Regina whispers back.

"Speaking of, when will that no longer be a secret?" David asks.

"Soon, hopefully…we'll see how this goes," Emma says as she continues to watch Cora's face. The older woman still has not said anything since Emma and Regina re-entered the room.

"Mother, say something," Zelena says, finally breaking the tension and causing the stunned woman to come back to reality.

"I'm going to be a grandmother?" Cora asks.

"Is that a tear in her eye?" Regina whispers to Emma. "I haven't ever seen my mother cry."

"I think so," Emma says, puzzled. She had told Regina that Cora didn't even cry at her own wedding, which had caused a drunk Zelena at the reception to remind her new stepsisters that Cora is basically a robot.

Surprising everyone in the room, Cora pulls Zelena and Walsh into a hug. "Oh, I'm so happy for you both. You will be wonderful parents," she says.

"Thank you, Mum," Zelena says before turning to her sister. "And Regina, I would love it if you would be the baby's Godmother."

"Really?" Regina squeaks, her breath catching in her throat.

"Yes, really. Who else could I possibly ask?" Zelena says.

Regina rises and hugs her sister, Cora wrapping her arms around them both. "Oh, my girls," the eldest brunette says. "I love you both so much."

"I love you, too, Mum," Zelena says as they break their embrace.

"Whoa," Regina says, returning to the couch as she leans against the back cushion.

"That was…unexpected," Emma adds.

"Indeed."

"Well, maybe this is a good sign? She seems to be in a good mood…" Emma offers, hoping her words are true.

"Well, there's only one way to find out," Regina says, taking a deep breath as she sits up straight, waiting for the excitement over Zelena's proclamation to die down. Emma shifts a little closer to Regina on the sofa, angling herself so she can subtly rub comforting circles on the brunette's back. Regina looks over and smiles at Emma, placing her hand on her knee and softly squeezing it for a quick private moment while everyone else is distracted by the baby news. She then retracts her hand, only to gently grasp her necklace once again, flipping the ring over in her hand.

Emma can feel Regina's back stiffen under her fingers as the well-wishes and congratulations to Zelena and Walsh quiet down and things begin to return to normal. Emma pauses her movements, leaning in slightly to whisper a quick, "I love you, and no matter what happens, you know I'm behind you one hundred percent." She can feel Regina relax just a bit at that, and she's relieved.

"I know," Regina whispers back before looking around the room. She shares a knowing look with Zelena, who gives her a small smile and a supportive nod. Even after going nearly a decade without speaking to one another, Zelena and Regina always seem to know what the other is thinking. Regina sighs out a breath after her silent conversation with her sister. Despite joking about it the night before, Regina's having second thoughts about making her announcement after her sister's, not wanting to steal her thunder. But, the look of support in her sister's eyes immediately calms that worry. "Well, in the spirit of making announcements," Regina starts, clearing her throat a little as she speaks. "I have some news."

Immediately, eight pairs of eyes are on her — the twins aren't paying attention since they don't understand what's going on around them, but even little Neal looks interested in what Regina has to say. She tenses up slightly, and Emma resumes the soothing circles on Regina's back. She takes a deep breath, but before she can respond, Cora interrupts.

"Oh, have you been promoted?"

"No, Mother," Regina says, a hint of amusement in her voice. "It's not work-related."

"Oh…have you met someone?" Cora asks, hope evident in her voice. "Perhaps a nice gentleman—"

"Cora," Leopold hastily interrupts. "Why don't you just let Regina tell us her news?"

Regina sighs. "You know what? Nevermind," she says, defeated, rising from her seat. However, Emma is quick and grabs her wrist before Regina can take a step, tugging the brunette back down.

"Rip off the Band-Aid," Emma quietly reminds her. "Or I can do it, if you'd rather I break the news," she says, not wanting to push the other woman, but knowing that they can't put it off any longer.

"No, I'll do it," Regina whispers back, knowing she needs to be the one to break this news to her mother. She takes another breath and turns to look at her mother and Leopold. "No, Mother, I have not met a 'nice gentleman,' but I am in a relationship with an amazing woman," she says, quickly glancing at Emma before looking back at their parents.

"Oh," Leopold says, while Cora's face is blank. "Well, that's wonderful news. How long have you been seeing her?"

"Almost a year," Regina says. "Since New Year's Eve."

"Really? That long? How come you didn't bring her with you for Christmas? When will we get to meet this lovely lady?" he asks.

Emma bites back a smile when she hears her sister snickering from the chair next to her.

"Um, well," Regina starts, trying to figure out how to phrase it. "I did, actually, and you already have."

It's then that Cora looks up, her eyes narrowing as she looks at her daughter and step-daughter across the room, noticing that Regina has placed her hand on Emma's thigh. "Oh, no. Absolutely not."

Confusion crosses Leopold's face as he mutters a puzzled "What?"

Emma smiles awkwardly. "Hi, Dad," she says, offering a slight wave of her hand.

"Huh?" he asks again, and then he registers what his wife has already figured out. "Oh! You two…?"

"Yeah," Regina says, taking Emma's hand in hers. "Emma and I are together."

"Oh," Leopold says again. "Well, I think that's great."

"Really?" Emma and Cora ask simultaneously, albeit in very different tones of voice.

He looks first to his daughter as he stands up and walks around the coffee table. She stands up to meet him, effectively pulling Regina up, too, by their still-joined hands. "Really. I'm happy for you, honey," he says, pulling her into a hug as he looks over at Regina. "And for you, Regina," he says as he opens his arms to her as well, and she goes willingly. "But if you ever hurt my little girl, you'll have to answer to me."

"That's fine, because I have no intentions of ever doing such a thing," Regina laughs.

"Good," he replies, releasing both women from his embrace as he goes to sit back down in his chair beside Cora, who has not moved or said anything more. "So is that why you moved to D.C., Emma?"

"Yeah. Living over an hour away from her was rough. I subletted a place a little closer for a while to test things out, and then I moved into her townhouse a few months ago."

"Oh, you're living together, then? And that's been going well?" Leopold asks, genuinely interested.

"Very well," Emma beams.

"I'm glad to hear it," he says.

"Mother?" Regina hesitantly probes, bracing herself for the response.

"You cannot be serious," Cora finally says, looking at her daughter and then at her step-daughter. "You're screwing with us, right? This is some sort of prank after that bullshit you pulled last year?"

Regina winces as she hears her mother's words. Cora never uses that kind of language, so she knows her mother is outraged.

"No, we're not screwing with you," Emma says, taking Regina's hand once again and resisting the temptation to say something about how the only person she's screwing is Regina. She knows that wouldn't help matters. "I am so utterly in love with your daughter, Cora. This isn't a joke."

Cora scoffs. "Ugh."

"Mother, it's true," Regina reiterates. "I know this isn't what you wanted for me, and I knew you wouldn't take it well, but I love her, Mother, with all of my heart. I've never felt this way about anyone before. If you can just try to be happy for me, for us…"

"Be happy for you? Regina, you're throwing your life away," the older woman snaps. "You're a beautiful woman, Regina, and you could have any man you wanted…"

"God," Regina groans. "Why can't you understand that I will _never_ want any man? I'm sorry that you think I'm throwing my life away, Mother," Regina says, feeling Emma's grip on her hand tighten. "But I love Emma, and we work really well together."

"Then go into business together. You don't need to sleep with your stepsister," Cora responds, her face contorting in disgust. "I've held my tongue for the past year, trying to get used to both of your… _proclivities_ …but I won't stand for you to making a mockery of me in my own house."

"Mum…" Zelena cuts in, worried for where this conversation is leading.

"No, Zelena, if they want to play house and entertain this asinine notion, they can do so on their own time and in their own home. But I will not allow it in mine," she says, turning to face her youngest daughter. "When you've outgrown this phase and have grown tired of this ill-advised life choice, do let me know. But until then, we are done here," she trails off as she grasps the arms of the chair and stands up, sending a leveling stare to her daughter, though she doesn't yet walk away. Cora thrives on confrontation, she always has, and she's waiting for Regina to fight back, just so she can squash her down even more.

Regina can feel the tears burning behind her eyes, threatening to fall. Emma quickly wraps an arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer and placing a kiss to her temple as a tear runs down her own cheek. Finally, Regina speaks. "Jesus. This isn't like when I wanted to get my nose pierced when I was 15, Mother. This isn't some phase I'm going to grow out of. It's not a choice. I am in love with Emma. Nothing is going to change that."

"Dad," Mary-Margaret pleads, hoping he'll be able to talk some sense into his wife.

"Cora…" he says, pulling himself out of the shock he found himself in after his wife's outburst. He had thought she had changed in the past year. She had said that she didn't care if his daughter is a lesbian, but apparently she still very much cares about her own daughter's sexuality.

"No, Leopold. I won't condone my daughter ruining her life."

"So by proxy, then, you must think that Emma is ruining her life, too?" Leopold asks.

"Frankly? Yes. But she's not _my_ daughter, so she's free to do as she wishes. But I won't let her be Regina's downfall."

"Cora!" Leopold shouts, standing to face her.

Before Cora can respond, Emma's voice interrupts. "Dad, Cora. Stop it!"

Regina wipes her eyes and looks up at the blonde, and her heart breaks for her. For them. She knows Emma is doing her best to be strong and support her, but the blonde is clearly just as hurt by the turn of events. "Emma…" she says softly. "It's fine."

"No, it's not fine," Emma says, brushing a tear from Regina's cheek. "No one is ruining anyone's life. I'm sorry, Cora, if you can't understand how two people can feel the love and affection that Regina and I have for each other, and I'm sorry if us being together somehow offends you, but that is not our problem. It's yours and yours alone. Nothing you can say will change how we feel about each other. And I hope you can find it within yourself to accept that. Despite all the shit she's gone through over the past 15 years, most of it the result of your homophobic views, by the way, Regina loves you and wants you in her life. But, you need to be accepting of who she is for that to happen."

"Oh, please," Cora scoffs yet again. "Do not lecture me on my daughter, Emma. You don't know her. You really think Regina will pick you over her family if it came down to it? You're just a bad, drunken college mistake that came back around when she was feeling weak. She'll get sick of you eventually when she comes to her senses."

"No, Mother," Regina says, finding her voice. "If you're making me choose between Emma and you, then I will choose Emma every moment of every day. _She_ is my family now."

Cora rolls her eyes. "Well, I suppose she technically is now that her father and I got married."

"No, Mother," Regina shakes her head, nearly laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation. "She's not my family because you and Leopold got married. I chose to make her my family. We're family because of these," she says, taking off her necklace and unclasping the lobster claw closure, removing the ring from the chain and sliding it onto her left ring finger. She looks over at Emma who moves the ring on her own right hand onto her left, before intertwining their hands once again.

"Oh my God," Zelena says. "Are those…?"

"Yes," Regina smiles, before turning her attention back to her stunned mother. "So, yes, Mother, I will choose _my wife_ over you, if it comes down to it."

"Wait, when did this happen?" Mary-Margaret asks, completely dumbfounded.

"About a month ago," Emma says, unable to tamp down the smile on her face. "When we were in New York with Jefferson and his husband. It was a little spur of the moment, but it was amazing."

"Of course it wasn't planned," Cora says as she finally walks out of the room. "Immature idiots," she mutters under her breath.

Regina rolls her eyes. "We hadn't planned on eloping, but the opportunity came along and we couldn't pass it up. We had already been engaged for six weeks and had started wedding planning, but we realized we didn't need a big wedding, nor did we want to wait any longer. When you know it's right, you know it's right. The option presented itself, and we went for it. We couldn't be happier."

"Wait, you were engaged already? And you didn't tell me? Emma!" Mary-Margaret whines.

"Sorry," she shrugs. "We were keeping it under wraps until we had the chance to tell everyone that we're together. Regina proposed to me the night I moved into her place."

"And then Emma's the one who suggested we elope while we were in New York," Regina adds.

"I can't believe my little girl got married," Leopold says, his genuine excitement visible on his face. "And I can't believe I missed it!"

"Sorry, Dad," she says. "We are thinking about having a small reception of some sort this summer in D.C., since Jefferson and Will are the only ones who were there for the actual ceremony."

"I would love that," he says, his smile not faltering on his face as he walks over to the couple once again. "And Regina," he says. "I'll talk to your mother and see if I can talk some sense into her. But regardless, know that you're always welcome here, as far as I'm concerned."

"Thank you, Leopold," the brunette says. "But please, don't worry about my mother. I fully expected this from her, and I don't want you two to start arguing about it."

"Nonsense," he says. "don't worry about your mother and me. Just focus on your life with my beautiful daughter."

 ***.*.***

"Well, that could have gone better," Regina says later that night as she sits on the end of the guest room bed, watching as Emma carefully folds their clothes and puts them back in the rolling suitcase. Cora had spent the rest of the day hiding in her office, only reappearing for a few minutes at a time to check on dinner preparations. If Regina as much as walked into the room, Cora had walked out. At dinner, she had completely ignored the pair, and she didn't say more than two words to anyone else. "But, I guess it could have gone worse…I mean, someone could have actually died. That would have been worse."

Emma lets out a wry chuckle as she rearranges the items in the suitcase to fit the presents they received earlier in the day. "I guess that's one way of looking at it," she says, pausing her packing efforts and coming to sit next to Regina on the bed. "Are you okay?" she asks.

"I'm not surprised," Regina replies.

"Okay, but that's not what I asked."

Regina sighs and allows herself to fall onto her back, looking up at Emma. "It sucks. I know I should have expected her to react that way — and I did — but, part of me really believed that she had changed at least a little bit, you know?"

"I know," Emma smiles sadly down at her girlfriend. "It does suck, and I hate that I don't know what to do to fix it."

"You can't fix this," Regina says, holding out her right hand toward Emma. "I can't, either."

"I know." The blonde takes Regina's extended hand and turns around so she's facing her wife, and then she's swinging her right leg over Regina's hips, sitting gently on top of her. She leans down for a chaste kiss, before sitting back up and reaching for Regina's other hand. Despite their position, it's not at all sexual, as Emma knows that's not what Regina needs in this moment. Instead, she just wants to provide comfort and support, and she knows Regina likes the calmness that Emma's weight on top of her brings. (Regina had tried to explain the physiology of it to her once, something about the parasympathetic nervous system kicking in and reducing stress when being hugged or covered by a weight, but Emma hadn't taken a science class since junior year of high school and had been completely lost.) She threads their fingers together, slowly using her thumbs to draw circles on Regina's palms. "What do you need? What can I do?"

Regina shakes her head, a stray tear escaping. "I just need you," she whispers, pulling slightly on Emma's hands until the blonde lowers herself once again, their lips meeting in a kiss that reminds Regina just how loved she is. The blonde gently moves off Regina, rolling onto her back and pulling the brunette to curl into her side, lightly running her free hand up and down Regina's arm. "I really did hope this would be different," Regina says, her voice small. "I mean, she's my mother."

"I know, babe." She hugs her a little tighter.

"I had gotten so used to her not being in my life for those 12 years. I feel like an ass, but I didn't even miss her then...or Zelena. But after seeing how you and Mary-Margaret are with Leopold last Christmas, and now…it makes me ache for that, you know? And it makes me miss my dad even more… he would have been so fucking happy for us, and I wish he could have met you. And I really thought that my mother and I were on the right track this year, and then she pulled that shit today," Regina says, struggling to speak between the sobs she's no longer holding back. "I want to hate her, but I can't. And I hate that I can't."

Emma turns her head slightly as her own tears start to fall, hoping that they'll land on her own shoulder instead of the brunette's head that's still resting on Emma's chest. "I know," she manages to say again, not knowing what else she can do but listen as Regina vents. "You have us, though, and you have Zelena and Walsh. And Cora may come around eventually…she may just be in shock."

"Not bloody likely," Regina comments, nestling closer to the warmth of the blonde until her exhaustion eventually gives way to sleep.

* * *

 **A/N:** I hope the SQ marriage was a bit of a surprise (though I dropped some hints throughout haha). There will be more to come. It wouldn't be one of my stories without some angst and drama amidst the fluff and a little cliffhanger/uncertainty/probable anger directed at me between chapters. You wont have to wait too long :)


	9. Epilogue: Part Three

**EPILOGUE PART THREE:  
THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS  
**

Emma wakes before Regina the next morning, a little after 8 A.M. The blonde notices that they're in the same position as they were the night before, with Regina nestled into her side on top of the blankets, as they had fallen asleep before they could properly turn down the bed. She feels Regina shift, watching as the chocolate brown eyes blink open, still blurry with tears. (Emma had woken up once in the night, briefly, and noticed Regina had been crying in her sleep). Regina says nothing, just looks up at Emma before closing her eyes once again, pressing her body even closer to her wife. In the afternoon they'll be flying back to D.C., but they don't need to leave for the airport for another hour and a half, so they have time to just be as they are. They lie in silence for a while, as Emma gently strokes her fingers along Regina's arm and then combs them through her hair. She thinks Regina is nearly asleep again and is contemplating how she will be able to get up to go brush her teeth without disturbing her, when her thoughts are interrupted by a soft knock on the door.

Regina stirs and pushes herself up slightly, lifting her head off of Emma's chest. "Come in," she says, wiping a few lingering tears from her cheeks, though it does nothing to hide the evidence that she's been crying on and off for the past 12 hours.

"Knock, knock," Leopold says as he turns the knob, poking his head through the door.

"Hey, Dad," Emma says, not moving from her spot on the bed, her arm still securely around Regina's shoulder.

"How are you girls?" he asks, leaning uncomfortably against the dresser as though he's afraid to intrude.

Emma looks over at Regina, who is forcing herself to sit up. "We're okay," the brunette answers, not wanting to elaborate further.

"Did you need something, Dad?" Emma asks.

"I just wanted to check on you…both of you," he says. "I know yesterday was rough and didn't go the way you hoped it would."

"You could say that," Regina mumbles as she rests her head against the bed's headboard.

"Are _you_ okay?" Emma asks her father, noticing that despite the small smile that graces his face, he's masking his own frustration and hurt.

"Honestly? Not really. But I will be," he says, not noticing that his words cause Regina's eyes to close and another tear to escape. Emma notices, though, and takes Regina's hand in hers, pulling it into her lap.

"My sexuality already destroyed one marriage. Don't let it destroy another," Regina says, looking at Leopold.

"Oh, Regina, that's not why Cora and your father split up," he says, taking a few steps closer and resting his hand on the bedpost extending up from the footboard of the bed. "You can't blame yourself for that."

"Well, it's hard not to," she scoffs.

"Well, you shouldn't. And your mother and I will be fine. It's true that I'm not happy with how she reacted, and she'll need to change her attitudes about both of you, but she will. I know she will."

"My mother is stubborn as hell, in case you haven't noticed," Regina fires back, though she keeps her voice soft, as she's not actually angry with Leopold. "She hasn't changed her attitude in 15 years, so I don't think she's going to change it now. You're going to have to figure out a way to reconcile that your wife is incapable of accepting who your daughter is, because no matter how much you and Cora may love each other, I don't think you'll be able to change her. The sooner you accept that, the better off you'll be. Believe me, there's nothing worse than holding out hope that maybe she can change. It only hurts a hundred times worse when you finally realize it'll never happen."

"That's very true. She is stubborn," Leopold concedes. "But she does love you, Regina."

"Well she has a hell of a way of showing it."

He frowns, realizing that Regina is right.

"Just…" Regina starts. "Seriously, don't let this feud between my mother and me come between you two. I know she loves you, and you're good for her. She and I may not be able to repair our relationship, but I really don't want that to influence yours. I wouldn't be able to handle that guilt on top of everything else."

"Regina," he says as he gestures to the foot of the bed. "Can I sit?"

The two women both nod. "It's your house," Emma shrugs.

"Right," he chuckles as he sits awkwardly at the end of the bed, turning his torso to face his daughter and stepdaughter-turned-daughter-in-law. "You are both adults, so I'm not going to try and sugarcoat it. This situation sucks, I'm not going to lie. Emma, it makes me furious that Cora said those things about you. You mean the world to me, and I will defend you until the day I die. And Regina, I know I will never replace your father, and I would never try to do that, but I care about you. Not only because you're Cora's daughter, but because you're now the most important person in my daughter's life...as you should be. So no matter what, you're important to me."

Regina and Emma both can't help but smile at that.

"So yes, I'm angry with your mother, and we're going to have to figure it out and work through it. The things she said yesterday were not the words of the woman I've come to know over the past seven years. I don't want to make excuses for her, because what she said is inexcusable. But I'm hoping she'll realize her mistake, because I would hate for her to cut you out of her life and miss the amazing things you'll both do in the future. But if that's her decision, then that's her decision. But know this: I refuse to give up that easy, or to let either of you walk out of my life. I meant what I said yesterday, Regina, you will always be welcome here."

"But my mother…"

"She'll have to deal with it," Leopold interrupts. "You're my daughter's wife, and that makes you _my_ family now, even if you weren't Cora's daughter. That won't change, no matter what Cora says or does."

Regina pushes herself off the bed, walking around to meet Leopold, pulling him into a hug as Emma looks on. "Thank you, Leopold."

"You're welcome, dear," he says before chuckling. "You know, David calls me 'Pops.' You're welcome to as well."

Regina laughs as she wipes a residual tear from her eye. "Yeah, I don't know if I can take myself seriously if I do that. But I'll consider it," she says as she walks back around to her side of the bed, taking a seat once again next to Emma.

"That's all I ask," he grins. "I'll leave you girls to it. What time are you leaving for the airport?"

"Our flight's at 12:30, so we have a car picking us up at 9:45," Emma answers.

"You'll swing by the main house before you leave?"

Emma looks to Regina, who nods. "Yeah. We'll come by to say goodbye," Emma confirms.

"Good," he smiles. "We'll see you in a bit, then. And congratulations again. I really am thrilled for the two of you."

As he turns to leave, Emma scurries off the bed, catching him at the door. "Thank you, Dad," she says as she hugs him, quickly kissing his cheek before he leaves the room. She gently closes the door behind him, turning around and facing her wife once again. "You okay?"

Regina lets out a noise that's a mix between a laugh and a sigh. "You need to stop asking me that."

"I will never stop asking how you are, Regina," Emma says seriously as she crawls back onto the bed and immediately opens her arms.

Regina scoots over and wraps her arms around Emma's waist, relaxing into the human pillow next to her. "I'm fine, Emma. Or, I will be. At this point I'm just excited to get back to D.C. this afternoon and get back to our lives, and to forget about my mother for a little bit."

Emma hums. "Me, too. And I think we should break out some of that massage oil tonight. I think you deserve it."

"Oh, yeah?" Regina raises an eyebrow as she looks up at Emma's smiling face. "I won't say no to that."

 ***.*.***

"The driver just called — he's five minutes away," Regina says to Emma as she finishes the last of her coffee and puts the mug in the sink.

"Perfect," Emma comments as she comes out of the bathroom. "Our bags are all by the side door. Ready to head over and say our goodbyes?"

"Ugh, if we must," Regina comments as she heads toward the door, picking up her small overnight bag as Emma pulls up the handle on her rolling suitcase. The blonde takes her free hand and reaches for Regina's as they walk up the sidewalk toward the main house.

They approach the kitchen door and through the glass pane they see their entire family sitting around the table and island. Cora is at the stove flipping pancakes, chatting happily with Mary-Margaret, who is holding baby Evie in her arms. David is feeding Robbie at the table, although most of the food is ending up on his face rather than in his mouth. Zelena and Walsh look on, studying the baby as if they're trying to figure out how they're going to handle one of their own in just a few short months. Leopold and Neal are at the island, drinking glasses of orange juice and reading what appears to be a comic book. "Ready?" Emma asks, looking at her wife.

"No, but we may as well get this over with. We don't have long anyway before we'll be on our way to the airport."

Emma gently tightens her grip on Regina's hand as she opens the door, causing everyone to look up from their tasks as the pair walk in.

"Good morning, ladies," Leopold is the first to speak.

"Morning, Dad," Emma smiles as she releases Regina's hand, opting to place hers on the brunette's lower back instead.

"We just wanted to stop by quickly and say goodbye. Our car will be here in a few minutes to take us to the airport," Regina adds.

Cora says nothing. Instead, she merely stares at the two women, spatula in hand, with a slight frown on her face.

"Cora," Mary-Margaret whispers, yet it's not enough to divert the older woman's attention from couple. "The pancakes are burning."

That seems to do it, causing Cora to jump in alarm as she turns back to the stove. "Oh, dear," she huffs, quickly flipping the pancakes in hopes of salvaging them.

Emma pulls Regina a little closer to her as the brunette lets out a sigh.

Zelena stands up and walks over to the two women, pulling them both into a hug. "Have a safe trip, you two," she says. "And please come visit us in England soon," she adds.

"I don't know if we'll be able to make it there before your wedding, but we'll look into it and see if we can find some time off," Regina says, pulling back from the hug.

Mary-Margaret, David, and their children quickly follow suit, hugging the couple and wishing them safe travels, while confirming their plans to visit D.C. over Mary-Margaret and Neal's spring break. "Neal is going through a space phase, so we'd love to take him to the Smithsonian while we're there," Mary-Margaret says.

"Sounds like a plan," Regina smiles. "I haven't been there in years, but I love it."

Their mundane conversation is interrupted by a brief honking of a car horn outside. "That's our ride," Emma comments, looking at Regina and then at Cora, who still has her back to the women at the stove.

Leopold comes over and hugs Emma and then Regina, whispering, "We had a long talk after I dropped by this morning. Give her time... she'll come around," in Regina's ear.

"Thanks," she whispers to him, smiling sadly as he releases her from his embrace. She takes a deep breath before speaking a little louder, uttering "Goodbye, Mother," as she looks over to the matriarch. Everyone else follows Regina's line of sight, waiting to see what the older brunette will do.

"Goodbye," she says, half-heartedly waving the spatula in the air in acknowledgement, but not turning around.

Regina sighs as Emma once again grabs her suitcase. "Well, it's better than nothing," Regina says as they leave the house and walk toward the driveway where the black Cadillac is waiting for them. "At least she spoke to me...sort of."

"She'll get there," Emma says, reassuringly. "At least, I hope she does."

"Yeah," Regina says, nodding to the driver in thanks as he holds open the door before she climbs into the back seat. She scoots to make room for Emma, who crawls in after her. "Ugh. I'm just ready to be home, back in our real bed…"

"Me, too," Emma agrees. "Just a few more hours."

"Mmhmm," Regina hums as they back out of the driveway. She watches as the mayoral mansion fades from view, unsure if she will ever return.

 ***.*.***

"Oh…my...God…" Regina moans later that evening. She's sprawled out naked on their bed, her torso finding comfort in the cool, silk sheets underneath her. "Fuck, your fingers are magic."

"I'm well aware," Emma chuckles as she straddles one of Regina' legs as her fingers work their way up Regina's inner thigh. "You've said that to me many times over the years," she says, leaning over to place a kiss where her fingers just were.

"Maybe, but I never really meant it until now. You've been holding out on me," Regina sighs.

"I feel like I should take offense at that," Emma says, lightly slapping the brunette's exposed ass. She then drops more massage oil onto her palms, quickly returning to knead the woman's hamstring. "But I know I'm good, so I'll choose to take it as a compliment."

"Mmm," Regina moans again, letting her face fall into the pillow. "Just keep going," she murmurs. After dealing with a delayed flight, both women had been exhausted and immediately took a nap upon returning home. However, after a dinner of takeout (they had been too tired to cook and had an empty fridge since they needed to go grocery shopping), Emma had wanted to make good on her promise to test out the new massage oils. Emma has been doing a very thorough job, as she's been working out the knots in Regina's back and legs for over 45 minutes. "If you keep this up I'll be too relaxed to do you," Regina comments, her voice muffled by the pillow.

"I'll take a raincheck," Emma shrugs, working her way back up her back. "The oil will last. This is all about you anyway," she says, placing another kiss at the base of Regina's spine as she readjusts her own position.

Regina lifts her head up to look over her shoulder at the blonde, who is now siting astride her hips, and raises an eyebrow. "I wasn't talking about massage, dear," she states, arching her back just enough to buck her hips, causing the swell of her ass to press into Emma center.

"Oh…" Emma says, meeting her wife's eyes. "Well, we can't have that. Maybe I should stop now so you're not too tired," she winks.

"Don't you dare stop," Regina says, sinking back down into the bed, wincing when Emma hits a particularly tender knot. "I'll rally...just please don't stop what you're doing right now."

Emma laughs as she pauses, leaning down to kiss Regina on the cheek and lightly teasing her earlobe with her teeth before she moves to sit back up. As she resumes working on the stubborn knot behind Regina's shoulder blade, her eyes cut over to the clock on the nightstand, noting the time. "Five, maybe ten more minutes?" Emma asks. "My magic fingers won't last much longer than that." Regina doesn't verbally respond, just nods her head as she melts into the pillow.

They make it four minutes before they're interrupted by Regina's phone ringing on the dresser behind them. "Do not answer that," Regina says as she feels Emma start to move off of her.

"What if it's important? It could be one of your patients."

Regina considers that for a moment, but then shakes her head. "I'm not on call. I'm still technically on vacation until tomorrow at 9 A.M. If one of my patients is having an emergency, they'll leave a voicemail and I can call them back in six minutes after you're done."

"Wow…I'm not sure that the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology would agree with your priorities there, Dr. Mills," Emma chuckles.

"Less talking, more rubbing," Regina sasses back, lightly swatting Emma's leg that's still next to her hips.

"Right away, Dr. Mills," Emma replies just as the voicemail notification alerts the women of an awaiting message. Emma pauses briefly as she hears and feels Regina sigh beneath her.

"Okay, fine. Move, please," Regina whines, pulling her arms under her body to press herself up as Emma dismounts from where she was perched on her back. The brunette grabs her robe from where she had discarded it on the floor next to the bed, causing the blonde to raise an eyebrow.

"It's nothing I haven't seen, Regina," the blonde says, raking her eyes over the woman's body as she ties the silk sash around her waist.

Regina rolls her eyes. "I'm not going to listen to a voicemail from a patient or colleague while I'm naked. That's just weird," Regina says, walking over to where she tossed her phone on the dresser.

Emma shrugs as she turns around and sits cross-legged on the bed, watching as Regina unlocks her phone.

"Oh," Regina says, her face falling as she leans back against the dresser.

"Everything okay?" Emma asks, her concern growing as she moves toward the end of the bed.

She shakes her head. "It wasn't a patient or work…it was my mother."

"Oh," Emma says, sitting back on her heels.

Regina hesitates for a moment before hitting the play button, holding her phone out in front of her after putting it on speakerphone: _'Oh, good, I was actually hoping to get your voicemail, Regina…'_ her mother's voice echoes out into the room. Regina walks over to the bed and sits down next to Emma, pulling the robe more tightly around her body as she tucks one leg underneath herself. _'You don't need to call me back, in fact I would prefer it if you didn't…'_ Regina sighs at her mother's words, closing her eyes as Emma's hand comes to rest on her back, rubbing in the gentle, soothing circles she has come to know far too well this weekend. _'I know I did not react to your…uh…news…the way you would have liked._

"No shit," Emma mumbles before she can stop herself, earning a glare from Regina. "Sorry," she silently mouths back.

They hear Cora clearing her throat on the recording as she continues: _'and this may not be something I can ever fully accept, because I will never understand it…but, I will try to try to make my peace with it. I make no guarantees, but I will try. It'll take some time to digest, so when I come to terms with it…if I can…I will call you. Goodbye and take care.'_

The message clicks off and Regina sets the phone down on the bed next to her. After a minute of silence, Emma speaks up when she hears Regina let out a breath. "I know you're sick of me asking this, but are you okay?"

Regina shrugs slightly. "I don't know. I didn't expect to hear from her again, especially not today."

"Well, that's a good thing, right? It's a good sign," Emma offers.

"Maybe. But it also feels a little final, like one of her small town government business transactions, saying 'okay, this deal is done. Goodbye and don't come back.' I know she has the interpersonal intelligence of a mosquito, so she doesn't know how to have a personal conversation, but seriously?"

Emma can't help but chuckle. "I'm not going to argue that."

"But, she said she's going to try…or, 'try to try.' What the fuck does that even mean? God," Regina sighs, moving to lie down on the bed. "And 'goodbye and take care'? Really? Yeah, thanks, Mom, love you, too," she huffs in frustration. "But," she says, her tone changing. "She called."

"She did," Emma says.

"So, maybe you're right. Maybe that is a good sign that maybe, someday, she'll at least accept us enough not to completely shut us out of her life. I don't even need full acceptance…just tolerance would be a good starting point. Maybe Leopold will help her realize that you aren't going anywhere, and you and I are a packaged deal now, so she'll have to see me regardless. It'll probably be a lot harder for her to get through holidays if she can't bring herself to be in the same room as us, so maybe she'll find a way to get over it."

"I hope so," Emma says, lying down and stretching out next to Regina on the bed. "Even calling you at all seems like it's a big first step for her."

"Yeah, you're right. She didn't have to do that, so it is a step in the right direction," Regina nods. "And thank you for being so great this week…and always, really, but especially with this shitshow."

"I'll always be there for you, Regina," Emma says, leaning in to kiss Regina's cheek.

"I know," Regina smiles. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Now, can we please not mention anything having to do with my mother for at least two weeks? I need to clear my head from all that. I need a break."

"Well, in that case," Emma says as she rolls over onto her side, looking at her wife as she plays with the silk sash of the brunette's robe. "I do believe you still had six minutes left of your massage…if you still want it."

"Oh, you're right," Regina smiles, loosening the tie and rolling onto her stomach, allowing Emma to pull the robe from her shoulders. "You better get on that."

"As you wish, Your Majesty."

* * *

 **A/N:** So, there you have it! Usually Leopold is always depicted as a complete ass, so I wanted to let him be a good guy for once. I didn't want to make it too much of a perfect ending, because life is messy and I occasionally like fics that aren't perfectly happy and where everyone isn't necessarily redeemed. So, I'm leaving it there: SQ is happy and starting their lives together, Regina and her sister have repaired their relationship, and Leo is embracing his daughter and Regina with open arms. Cora is still Cora, but she wants to make an effort...or, is willing to "try to try" to make an effort.

I unintentionally left some other aspects open in this fic, and a few of you have reviewed or DM'd me to ask for follow-up/sequel one shots, and you know how I love the occasional spin-off. I wasn't planning to do it, but damn it, now you've planted that idea in my head, I have potential topics. I am considering it, but it would likely be random one-shots from this verse to mark other holidays. (There has been several requests for SQ!Baby, and while that's not usually my thing, I kind of love that idea in this verse. I've already been given a prompt for the actual birth of the baby, along with Cora's reaction to Emma having Regina's baby, because we know that will just be a delightful moment given Cora's disposition in this fic lol). I also apparently left it open for their D.C. wedding reception, and then there's Zelena's wedding and other family holidays to make things fluffy and dramatic. So, we'll see what happens. If you have any particular holidays/special occasions you want to see in this verse, feel free to drop a comment with your prompt...the more prompts I get, the more likely I'll be unable to resist writing more in this verse :) You can always follow me so you're notified if/when I post the sequel. Regardless, if I end up doing a sequel with one shots, I'll try to remember to post a preview chapter here so you'll know when it's up if you're following this fic...it'll probably be awhile, though, because I'm still finishing up _Second Chances and Silver Linings_ , _A New Exploration_ is still on-going with a lot to come, and I'm about to start a new AU magical realism fic. But then again, if I'm sticking with holiday themes for this verse, Valentine's Day is in like two weeks, so who knows. :D. Maybe there will be a SQ V-Day story worth telling in this verse (prompts welcome for that, too, because I'm drawing a blank right now haha).

Thanks so much for reading, and for all your reviews, follows, and favorites. I hope you enjoyed it, and if I decide to write a follow-up, I hope you'll join me for that :)


	10. The Sequel

**A/N:** I wasn't planning on doing this so soon, but an idea hit me for a short fluffy Valentine's Day piece. So, I've officially published the sequel to _Home for the Holidays!_ It's called _Moments in Time (Home for the Holidays Verse)._ I've posted a little teaser of it below, and then the rest can be found in the new fic.

* * *

 **1\. A Belated Valentine's Day Surprise**

 ** _Friday, February 16. 7:30pm._**

 _I wish I was dead_ , she thinks.

Regina Mills is old enough that she should know that surprises rarely, if ever, go the way they're planned. She should know by now that it's better to forget about the excitement of mystery and the romance of spontaneity, and instead go the safe route. Safe is always better. It may be boring, but it's less likely to lead to awkward situations, like the one in which she currently finds herself.

She and Emma have only been married a few months, and it's not like they have lost any of the passionate spark in those few months of wedded bliss, so she shouldn't have felt the need to try to spice things up with an unplanned surprise. She should have just told her wife her intentions. If she had, she wouldn't be in her current humiliating predicament.

 _Please, God, just let me have a massive myocardial infarction right now…or an aneurism. I'm not picky. Something quick and relatively painless. Anything would better than this_ , she silently prays. But, God doesn't smite her down in that moment. No, she's going to have to deal with this.

She glares at her wife across the room, whose cheeks are as equally as pink in embarrassment as she sends an apologetic look back to the brunette...

 _ **to be continued...**_

* * *

 **A/N** : If you'd like to find out what happened, click on my username to go to my profile, and then click on the new story _Moments in Time_. The rest of this chapter (and all subsequent chapters) will be posted in that fic (I like to keep fics and their sequels separate, so they don't get unwieldily). I hope you'll follow along!


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